How Wild Alaska Pollock is Winning Over Gen Z and Millennials on Social Media

At GAPP, we've always known that Wild Alaska Pollock has a story to tell, but the mission has been getting people to hear it. Over the past few months, our social media strategy has made major strides in raising awareness for this incredible fish, especially among younger audiences who may not be as familiar with seafood.

Here’s how we did it, and what we’ve learned along the way.

The Challenge: Introducing a Fish to New Audiences

The primary goal of our social strategy was simple: raise awareness for Wild Alaska Pollock. We wanted to make people more familiar with the fish itself and, more importantly, interested in it. Often, people don’t start thinking about seafood until they’re older, but we’re aiming to change that by sparking interest in younger consumers—Gen Z and millennials—on platforms where they already spend their time: TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts.

Why is social media, particularly TikTok, so critical? Consider these statistics:

TikTok has approximately 2.5 billion visits each month as of September 2024, with the majority of users accessing it from mobile devices.
1 in 4 TikTok users are under 20 years old, and TikTok has more Gen Z users than Instagram. The largest proportion of U.S. TikTok users—30%—are aged 25 to 34, with 55% of all users under 30.
Globally, 5.17 billion people use social media, with an average user engaging across 6.7 platforms daily.
The average time a person spends on social media is 2 hours and 20 minutes per day.

With social media usage so widespread, and TikTok boasting such a significant share of younger users, it’s clear that these platforms are key to reaching the next generation of seafood consumers. In fact, it’s projected that TikTok will have over 48 million Gen Z users by 2025, up from 19.8 million in 2019.

Rather than relying on traditional product-focused messaging, we took a different route. Social media is a place where people go to enjoy content, and ads can often feel intrusive. So, rather than focus on sales, we leaned into creating funny, relatable content that would make people laugh and learn about Wild Alaska Pollock naturally. By aligning with the behavior and preferences of younger audiences, we’ve been able to capture their attention in a more authentic and engaging way.

Our Strategy: Relatability, Humor, and Virality

We focused heavily on TikTok, where we knew we could connect with younger audiences. From there, we repurpose videos across Instagram and YouTube Shorts, maintaining consistency but tailoring each piece to fit the platform’s style and tone.

One of our core pillars has always been sustainability, which is a key topic of interest for our audience. But the real differentiator in our approach has been humor. As part of the Gen Z demographic myself, I know what resonates with my peers online, and I brought that perspective into the content we create. By using Dutch, our fish mascot, as the “face” of the brand, we’ve been able to create content that feels fresh, fun, and approachable.

We’re constantly experimenting, posting at least two to three times a day, and staying on top of trends. For example, we quickly jumped on the “Demure” trend, which resulted in one of our most successful posts with over 800,000 views. Moments like these are key to building organic growth.

Results: Organic Growth that Speaks for Itself

In just a few months, our TikTok account has seen incredible growth—all without spending a dollar on ads. Our organic strategy has brought us over 1.7 million impressions, over 150,000 engagements, and a 9% engagement rate. We’ve also grown by 1,500+ followers in this short time.

Year over year, we’ve seen major increases in our key metrics: a 1,253% boost in impressions, a 3,274% rise in engagements, and a 150% increase in engagement rate. This growth has been entirely organic, showing that we’ve struck a chord with our audience.

More importantly, we’ve seen an increase in curiosity and conversations about Wild Alaska Pollock. Our content has been shared over 10,000 times, and Dutch has even been recognized in real life. This kind of engagement shows that people aren’t just watching—they’re interacting with and sharing our content, which is exactly what we hoped to achieve.

The Community: A New Energy

One of the most exciting aspects of this strategy has been the positive response from our audience. Previously, much of our social media content focused on food photos and news, which appealed to a different group of followers. With Dutch leading the charge, we’ve seen a shift to a more fun and lighthearted tone, resonating with younger audiences who are enthusiastic about sustainability and genuinely enjoy the content.

It’s been incredibly rewarding to see the supportive and positive feedback, with 99.9% of comments and reactions being encouraging and kind. This has fostered an uplifting community around Wild Alaska Pollock, and we’re thrilled with the direction things are going.

Lessons Learned: Staying True to Our Strategy

Like any new approach, there were moments of adjustment along the way. But by staying consistent and leaning into Dutch’s personality, we’ve seen our efforts pay off. One of the key lessons we’ve learned is that authenticity and humor resonate far more than traditional sales tactics, especially with younger audiences.

We’ve drawn inspiration from brands like Red Bull and Duolingo, both of which have mastered the art of ditching traditional sales messaging in favor of creating content that people actually enjoy. Red Bull, for example, focuses heavily on extreme sports and action-packed events, building excitement and brand loyalty without ever needing to push their product directly. Similarly, Duolingo has leaned into humor and viral trends on TikTok, becoming a content creator in their own right.

These brands have shown that by shifting away from constant product promotion, they can create a deeper connection with their audience. We’ve applied the same philosophy to our strategy, focusing on entertaining and relatable content that makes people want to engage with us, without feeling like they’re being sold something. This approach has allowed us to build a strong, positive community around Wild Alaska Pollock while raising awareness in a more natural, engaging way.

The Future: What’s Next?

Our next big milestone is reaching 10,000 followers on TikTok. But more than that, we’re focused on continuing to build a community that loves Wild Alaska Pollock as much as we do. We’ll keep experimenting with new ideas, trends, and content, knowing that social media is an ever-evolving space where consistency and creativity are key.

We’ve proven that with the right strategy, you don’t need a massive ad budget to make an impact. By focusing on organic growth, humor, and authenticity, we’ve not only grown our following but also sparked genuine interest in Wild Alaska Pollock. And we’re just getting started.

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