Media Words reboots Fisherman's Friend with a fresh catch for Gen Z

Media Words has won Fisherman’s Friend’s media account and launched a campaign targeting a younger audience.

The brand was founded in 1865 by James Lofthouse, a pharmacist from Fleetwood in northwest England, who created a formula to soothe the sore throats of local fishermen.

The original licorice, eucalyptus and menthol lozenge has since expanded to 15 flavours, and the family-owned business now produces five billion lozenges annually.

The challenge for the brand today is to attract a younger audience by shaking off the idea that it’s “just for the oldies” and reframing it as a product that delivers instant freshness.

Media Words founder Elise Hedley Dale saw the original creative as an opportunity to push harder.

“I saw a chance to bend the message and take it somewhere unexpected. I tapped The Reactor - the creative partners I trust - and they developed the ‘Friends with Benefits’ creative concept,” she said.

“That’s the strength of Media Words: we bring in the right people, keep media and creative working hand in hand, and deliver work that stands out.”

The creative execution began with an influencer-led idea designed to generate shareable content and then extended into the broader campaign.

The message that Fisherman’s Friend is your “reliably intense” friend who always delivers - no awkward introductions or strings attached.

The national campaign launches with a multi-format out-of-home rollout, spanning digital large format, static rail cross-track and rock posters, supported by digital and social activity.

Revamping the brand for younger consumers

Sophie Leach from Stuart Alexander & Co, the official distributor for Fisherman’s Friend in Australia, said the challenge is recruiting the next generation of consumers.

“From our consumer research, brand awareness is high but the main reason Australians don’t buy Fisherman's Friend is that they think it’s a strong lozenge and a brand for older people,” she said.

“We chose to partner with Media Words because they provided a digital forward approach and a modern media mix. The creative flexibility via the influencer-led storytelling is perfect for reshaping perceptions, a real opportunity to craft a breakthrough message and balance pull versus push in a more relatable way.

“It also gives us room to creatively reposition our Mint flavour without alienating current users.”

Media Words operates on an “Inner Circle” approach - tapping vetted specialists rather than pretending to master everything in-house.

“The result is campaigns that prove that when the right team sits at the same table, brands get noticed,” Hedley Dale said.

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