Witness the Freshness and our mascot Dudley Du-Not to launch the brand.

Article 4 in a 4-part series about Ernest’s rebrand 

The new Ernest brand came to life externally with a mix of paid marketing, owned media channels, and one-on-one customer interactions in the field. The launch campaign, dubbed “Witness the Freshness,” features Dudley Du-Not, our Cautionary Tale Coordinator—a three-day-old stale donut mascot who joined Ernest after working at some of their subpar competitors. After experiencing a new culture at Ernest, Dudley reminds everyone to always bring fresh ideas that make the company stand apart from stale packaging companies.

The goal of the campaign was to signal a change in the Ernest story and communicate their unique value proposition to external audiences, while showcasing their commitment to fresh ideas and solutions. It aimed to drive traffic to the newly revamped website, increase quality local leads within 100 miles of Ernest’s divisional locations, and build our owned media channel communities sparked by interest in the new Ernest brand and story.

Building the campaign.

Our starting point was to determine how this 79-year-old company could stay relevant and top-of-mind in an era where few businesses reach the 75-year mark. We relied on the core of the brand strategy, building human connections, to stand out. In a market where many companies are shifting toward automated online transactions, Ernest is putting personal interactions first, to foster more meaningful and lasting relationships with their customers. It was imperative that this was an immediate takeaway from the launch campaign. 

When creating the launch campaign, we focused on the theme of freshness and Dudley became our mascot. Simply put, Dudley reminds people NOT to do like he did in his past. To never go stale. He’s the embodiment of the passion Ernest has for innovation and the commitment to never settling for the status quo.

Knowing our audiences.

Our primary audience for the campaign was prospective clients—manufacturers looking for packaging partners to help solve their business challenges, whether it’s bringing products to market, growing revenue, or building their brand. These solution-driven prospects value a partner who can help build their business rather than just supply them with products. So, we targeted prospective clients for awareness and to consider switching packaging partners to Ernest.

Our secondary audience was existing clients, vendors, employees, and community advocates who are already aware of Ernest. We wanted to introduce them to our new brand and reinforce our value proposition, inviting them to engage with us through the new website, social media, or Ernest events.

Our tertiary audience was potential employees, many of whom may come from outside the packaging industry. Our goal was to position Ernest as an attractive place to work, even for those who haven’t previously considered a job in the packaging industry. In other words, to put Ernest top of mind when they begin their next job search.

Distributions, channels, and promotion.

The campaign launched with a combination of organic and paid social, paid search, programmatic, and display advertising. We officially launched our new website on January 9th 2024, accompanied by our brand anthem video and reps distributing new materials during their meeting with customers. This comprehensive approach ensured we covered all bases, from digital to physical interactions.

Paying to play through strategic paid media.

In the past, Ernest has had incredible success with high-quality content on their organic channels. But in today’s environment of saturated content, organic success is challenging without optimized paid media on specific channels. We helped Ernest invest smartly in paid social, programmatic, video display advertising, and other channels and yielded impressive results.

Our ads spanned LinkedIn, Meta, programmatic networks, Google Ads, YouTube, email signatures, and physical spaces. Each asset was tailored for success depending on the platform and target audience.

Hyperlocal paid search.

Ernest maintains an always-on hyperlocal paid search strategy, with each division having its dedicated homepage. Detailed metrics allow us to track the cost, impressions, clicks, leads, and conversions by division, making our efforts both efficient and effective. This strategy ensures enhanced name recognition and consideration, resulting in more traffic and leads for Ernest.

This localization is critical to the business because unlike many, Ernest isn’t an e-commerce provider. They primarily deliver directly to warehouses within 100 miles of one of their locations. So, the greater they index locally, the more they’ll show up in the relevant Google rankings organically.

Human interactions to solidify the value proposition.

Aligning the entire Ernest workforce with marketing efforts was crucial, especially when it came to the sales teams. Ernest’s internal marketing department provided these boots on the ground with the support and tools needed to convey the new brand, whether they were onsite or connecting digitally with potential clients. Sales reps and customer service personnel met one-on-one with clients regarding the new brand, explaining what it meant for the future of Ernest but, most importantly, for the future of the partnership with their clients. In addition, we provided new sales tools for the client-facing teams at Ernest, including welcome kits which explained the breadth of Ernest’s products and services, as well as contact information. And as a fun leave-behind, we also created Dudley bobbleheads with our campaign message printed on the base, “Ditch the stale. Blaze your trail.”

This brand engagement has significantly increased traffic and awareness for Ernest. It’s also painted a new picture of what Ernest represents and how they’ll continue to bring the freshness for years to come.

Results.

The campaign was awarded the top honor Best of Show at the 2025 Silicon Valley Addy Awards. As a result of the campaign, we’ve seen a significant increase in site traffic, lead generation, and form fills, with qualified leads trending upward. The Dudley mascot has been a hit, with clients clamoring for their own Dudley bobbleheads. Engagement and excitement from both clients and employees have been palpable, with Dudley becoming a symbol of the brand’s fresh and innovative approach.

The campaign’s success has led us to extend its duration— the long tail of Dudley’s impact remains to be seen, but the signs are promising and Dudley is probably going to be a fixture at Ernest for quite some time.

We knew the internal or external brand launch couldn’t have happened without the tireless dedication of everyone at Ernest. It was a massive effort. From Day 1, we made sure the managers knew the new brand and could clearly communicate it to their teams, complete with new materials and clear marching orders. As a result, employees have embraced Dudley and the message behind him, promoting the campaign on social media and demonstrating their excitement. And most importantly, they’re getting the word out to our clients and prospects across the nation.

What’s next.

We’re planning to extend Dudley’s presence and maintain the campaign’s relevance for as long as possible. Dudley has been successful in various settings, from customer appreciation days to appearing in employee photos during international vacations. Ernest’s next steps involve continuing to focus on brand engagement through training, coaching, face-to-face interactions, and expanded brand assets. As one of the largest independently owned packaging solutions companies, Ernest is equipped with a fresh and recognizable brand. As Ernest continues to grow, we’re ready to keep witnessing the freshness right along with them.

Read the case study and Articles 1, 2, and 3 about the Ernest rebrand.