Why McCain Brought Back Stranger Things’ Barb for National French Fry Day
Despite the first season of ‘Stranger Things’ debuting in 2016, there’s still a strong outcry for the return of a beloved character: Barb. If you search ‘#BringBackBarb’ or ‘Justice for Barb’ on just about any social media platform, you will be flooded with results from eager fans who want to see the return of Shannon Purser’s gone-too-soon heroine.
And finally, thanks to the efforts of McCain Canada and creative agency Rethink, fans have their wish. Riding atop a McCain-branded tractor, the one and only Barb Holland was there for all to see, extolling the importance of sustainable farming - a particularly fitting theme considering the brand’s emphasis on regenerative agriculture, and specifically, bringing back healthy soil. After all, with 12 million hectares of farmable land being lost on an annual basis due to erosion, a fun but socially relevant message on National French Fry Day was the best way to draw attention to this, and the need for smart, eco-friendly decisions in the realm of food production.
LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with Rethink creative director Cam Spires, and McCain Canada marketing director Michael Embir to learn more about what regenerative agriculture looks like, and how this campaign came to be.
LBB> Tell us how this campaign got started! What was the brief, and what immediate ideas came to mind?
Cam> The ask was to spread the word about McCain’s commitment to regenerative agriculture moving forward, but we also knew we’d have to educate a little bit about what that means, and entertain enough that people would actually listen to what we were saying.
LBB> And what does regenerative agriculture actually look like? Tell us about how you’ll be achieving this!
Michael> At McCain, sustainability means:
- Long-term resilience on the farm, with the tools, tactics and abilities to withstand extreme weather events and market fluctuations.
- Reducing the carbon footprint of food production - farming, storage, processing and freight - which currently accounts for more than a quarter of the world’s CO2 emissions.
- Reducing food waste and producing foods that people enjoy as part of a balanced diet.
- Development and building of communities with education and support for our farmers in disadvantaged areas.
Through the sustainability journey at McCain, we will:
- Assure a supply of planet-friendly food.
- Stabilise the supply chain with more resilient farming practices and food production.
- Be more responsible stewards of the environment.
- Create positive economic conditions for our farmers.
To do this, McCain is committed to implementing regenerative agricultural practices across 100% of our potato acreage worldwide by the end of 2030. McCain currently partners with roughly 3,500 growers globally. We are dedicated to supporting their day-to-day practices, as well as looking to the future of farming through our regenerative agriculture framework, which is a pathway to progress and guide for our farmers to support their progression toward a more regenerative model. We also work closely to scale and share learnings from our ‘Farms of the Future’ to ensure the global principles (below) can be applied regionally across landscapes:
- Armoured soils, preferably with living plants.
- Enhanced crop diversity.
- Minimised soil disturbance.
- Reduced toxicity of pesticides.
- Enhanced farm and ecosystem diversity.
- Reduced agrochemical impact and optimised water use.
- Increased soil organic matter.
LBB> What made now the right time to highlight regenerative agriculture?
Michael> The commitment to regenerative agriculture has been an ongoing priority for McCain, as we believe that climate change is one of the single biggest threats to the planet. As a global leader in the food and agriculture sector, McCain has a responsibility to be a leader and drive change in the way we grow potatoes, to be more beneficial for both the planet, and the communities where McCain operates.
McCain’s flagship ‘Farm of the Future’ was opened in the company’s hometown of Florenceville, New Brunswick in 2021, as a place to drive innovation in testing and experimentation with the practices and principles of regenerative agriculture. As part of its sustainability commitments in agriculture, McCain has committed to opening three Farms of the Future by 2025.
This year, we wanted to leverage National French Fry Day to come out with something that could educate consumers about our regenerative efforts, while also showing up in a space that’s close to our gen z target demographic’s hearts.
LBB> To this end, what made bringing back Barb the right way to do this? And was this something you knew you wanted to do even before this campaign, or did it come up after the idea of bringing back good farming practices?
Cam> It came after we dug into what regenerative agriculture actually is. You might be surprised to learn just how much soil the earth loses to erosion on an annual basis. It’s a full soccer field of soil every second. That’s scary, and a big reason why we need this. Not only is it a throwback to better farming practices from the past, but it also revives soil and biodiversity. As such, it just made sense to revive something else as a parallel/metaphor.
The team explored a tonne of options, but with such a big movement online for Barb to come back, it really just made sense, and fit nicely with the gen z demo we wanted to talk to.
Michael> Barb was the clear top choice, but we also explored a few other culturally relevant options. However, it quickly became clear that through the ‘#BringBackBarb’ movement, everyone felt a strong desire to recall this character - especially on social media.
LBB> Obviously, Shannon Purser, who plays Barb, was the focal point of the spot. How did you get her involved, and what was working with her like?
Cam> Shannon was happy to bring the character back, so that was as straightforward as reaching her agent. Getting permission to represent her character was the part we really had to hold our breath for. Some say there are good account people still holding their breath to this day!
In terms of working with her, we shot on a farm in Abbotsford, British Columbia, and while it was one very full (and very windy - which was not without its challenges) day, Shannon was an absolute pleasure to work with. She’s as nice as you might think.
LBB> Did Shannon actually drive the tractor? And as a whole, do you have any anecdotes from on set?
Cam> She didn’t drive the tractor, so much as she sat on a tractor on top of a flatbed truck. We had a stunt driver out on the tractor.
All in all, we had a great time on set, aside from getting the occasional faceful of dirt-wind. (That’s wind with dirt in it.)
LBB> Who directed the spot, and what made them the perfect choice for the job?
Cam> Amber Schaefer has great comedic experience directing TV, but also brings a unique perspective from directing ‘Saturday Night Live’, so we felt she was a perfect fit for bringing out the lighter side of this otherwise serious message.
LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?
Cam> Almost everything about this project was challenging, from ambitious timelines to long-shot permissions. The only solution was staying relentless and pushing through, as always!
Michael> It takes a village! We had to find a way to tell a complicated story simply, but also tell it in a way that cut through and was culturally relevant. Moreover, we had to balance several stakeholders, including Shannon, our grower partners, and internally, we had to stay true to our commitments. Working together with Shannon and our creative partners at Rethink allowed us to overcome any obstacles that we faced.
LBB> This was also a North America-wide campaign that ran in both Canada and the US. As such, how have people reacted?
Cam> We’re proud to have crossed the finish line, and to have people’s reaction to it be so overwhelmingly positive. People really love that character, and rather than feeling it was a betrayal by ‘going commercial’, they were just happy to see her again, and were largely receptive to our message.
Michael> The reaction has been extremely positive for both McCain and Barb, with strong consumer engagement and high video completion rates. The fan theories are really fun too, with social chatter around whether our campaign might be an Easter egg for the show.
LBB> How does this campaign fit into McCain’s plans for 2023?
Michael> All of our communications are rooted in celebrating being together, and in this case, to help bring back healthy soil for our planet, because ‘together we can bring back anything’… even Barb!
