Chomps Delivers a Message of Healthy Snacking at Target

Chomps started the new year grabbing consumers’ attention in Target stores with a program that communicated its protein offerings for every occasion. Chomps is a minority, family-owned brand that offers high-quality meat snacks made with grass-fed, grass-finished beef and antibiotic-free turkey.Highlighting its eight-count and new 14-count Chomplings multipacks, Chomps encouraged consumers to think about healthy habits and resetting in the new year with on-the-go protein options.The nationwide campaign across 1,950 Target stores, which ran from the end of December 2024 through February, was a collaboration with Target’s merchant and Roundel teams that allowed Chomps to secure premium endcap placement, leverage Roundel media for digital reach, and participate in Target’s accelerator program for new products, says DeeDee McCoy, Chomps senior manager, omnichannel marketing.Designed to expand the brand's reach among its core audience at Target, driving awareness and trial, the program aligned with Target’s efforts to reinforce its commitment to nutritious snacking. McCoy says that Chomps' core audience consists of "Active Achievers.” These busy, health-conscious individuals prioritize high-quality protein and real ingredients, and seek convenient, nutritious snacks that fit their daily routines without compromising on health or taste.“While our household penetration has grown significantly, there's still a substantial opportunity to increase awareness and trial,” McCoy says. "January was a key moment, as shoppers focus on healthy habits and resetting from the holiday season.”To do that, McCoy says the team had to break longstanding misconceptions about meat snacks (e.g., unhealthy, over-processed, male-focused) to reach its target audience through this program. “Many consumers simply don’t consider meat snacks due to outdated perceptions,” she says. “Our goal is to redefine the category and bring new people into the category with real ingredients, a good source of protein, and a great-tasting alternative.”McCoy’s team devised a 360-degree omnichannel marketing plan surrounding shoppers and aligned with the timing of the in-store wellness endcap. Out-of-store tactics included visibility on Target.com with sponsored search, product detail page updates, and launching its first-ever dedicated brand page on Target.com — all of which boosted placement on the digital shelf for buy-online, pick-up-in-store purchases. “We were very focused on making sure that we looked our best on Target.com,” McCoy notes.Other out-of-store efforts through Roundel included reaching specific, targeted audiences to drive awareness via Target.com and Bullseye Marketplace, leveraging Chomps-owned channels for digital support, including social media (Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn), targeted email marketing and creator partnerships. There were seven touchpoints throughout the campaign, as well as promotional offers, such as a Target Circle discount and inclusion in the Target weekly digital flyer.In stores, Chomps secured a high-visibility wellness endcap placement featuring both its 14-count Chomplings multipacks as well as its existing eight-count multipacks. The 14-count Chomplings multipack was a lead launch at Target, McCoy notes, with the in-store displays designed to highlight Chomps’ better-for-you positioning, encourage impulse purchases via prominent placement, and reinforce brand awareness through consistent messaging across digital and in-store.Not only did the efforts help maximize trial and exceed initial sell-through expectations in early weeks, but in January, the Chomps endcap was the most productive display in Target grocery, McCoy reports, adding that all of the top five items in Target's snacking were Chomps SKUs throughout the month as well. McCoy says the company’s benchmarks include sales performance and healthy inventory, with sell-through rate and repeat purchase. She and her team will measure success based on brand awareness and trial lift (measured through digital and in-store engagement); household penetration impacting the baseline business at Target; the performance of Roundel investments and separately assets on Chomps owned channels; and the impact of promotional efforts, including Target Circle redemption rates and flyer-driven sales.January results reported the company’s highest month ever with +60% month over month for attributed sales, McCoy says, driving 46% of pick-up sales and 8.2% of total Target sales coming from sponsored search. Roundel display ads (ROAS, click-through-rate, influenced shoppers, impressions) came through exceeding ROAS benchmarks at $8 and exceeding click-through-rate at 0.16%. Late February numbers showed the program influenced more than 75,000 shoppers, with 16.3 million impressions and 5.4 million reach. “This was our largest Target marketing investment to date, setting a new benchmark for future campaigns,” McCoy says.Chomps’ key partners, beyond close collaboration with several internal teams, included Target’s merchant and Roundel media teams as well as Criteo for the nine-week digital and in-store effort. McCoy says more expansion efforts will be coming to Target this year.

Chomps Delivers a Message of Healthy Snacking at Target

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