Family members pour food items from metal cans into a pot on the stove. A boy hands off an aerosol can containing a cleaning product to a man while they work on a car. People gathered around a dinner table use metal cups for their beverages.
These are scenes depicted in Sonoco's television advertising campaign this year that intends to show how its metal packaging is “part of real-life moments,” said Becky Skipper, director of business development and marketing at Sonoco Metal Packaging.
Developers intentionally centered on these scenarios instead of on lauding the products' features in the advertisement. The actors in the commercial don't speak, and there are no voiceovers mentioning the company until the final seconds when a broad product portfolio is on display. The entire spot brings feelings into the limelight; the company strives to be relatable and elicit an emotional connection with the viewer.
"We're not focused on putting a can in the middle of the screen and talking about the attributes of the 300 diameter can. People already know that," Skipper said. "It's [about] trusting in the brand that you're choosing to buy from."
TV advertising is generally considered a mode to reach consumers, as opposed to business customers — the companies that would choose to sell their goods in metal packaging. But its role in B2B is increasing, according to a LinkedIn analysis. In particular, this marketing strategy is getting a boost as connected TVs become the norm. Sonoco intends to continue tapping into the trend.
The company wants to connect with “consumers.” However, its audience isn't the typical consumer heading to a grocery store to purchase canned food: It's actually still Sonoco's “customers.”
“They are decision-makers, and they're also consumers,” Skipper said. “Outside of the office, they're still consumers. They're still streaming the same shows that we are. They're still sitting with their families. And they're still very much influenced by brands that they're watching.”
Sonoco harnessed modern technologies and advertising methods for the campaign. It’s based on connected TV, or CTV, referring to ads that are delivered through internet-connected televisions and streaming services. This mode allows for hyper customization to reach specific audience members.
Through this campaign on both conventional and streaming television services, Sonoco aimed to modernize its communications and exhibit that “we get how you're absorbing information, and we want to be there in those moments,” Skipper said.
Introducing a TV ad campaign is a rather rare move for an individual packaging company, although certain industry groups, such as the soon-to-fold Paper and Packaging Board, have used this tactic. Some packaging companies post their ads on their own websites, social media platforms or their own channels on video streaming services like YouTube, but pushing such campaigns out publicly to TVs isn't a frequent marketing tactic. International Paper, Smurfit Westrock and Ball are among the few major packaging companies that have sporadically run commercials on television.
“For Sonoco, stepping into nationwide TV advertising isn’t about breaking with tradition — it’s about meeting people where they are today,” Skipper said.
A can plan
Skipper, the driving force behind the TV ads, really took notice of CTV marketing options when discussing with family members what gifts they wanted for Christmas. Her son named “a very specific truck. And he kept talking about this truck.” When scrolling through social media later that night, Skipper received ads for the truck.
“While some folks may see dangers with that, I see it as opportunity if it's used in the right way,” she said. “All consumers are being targeted at this point anyway, so what can we do in a positive way to influence them towards Sonoco?”
CTV tools allow the company to hone its messaging to a particular audience: those in certain regions, ZIP codes, or even to individual viewers, Skipper said. The company’s goal was to use that knowledge to engage with and boost Sonoco’s name recognition among key niche audiences, such as private label customers.
“We make all those cans. But once the label is on them, they don't necessarily think of Sonoco,” Skipper said. “So how do we become top of mind for them?”
The Sonoco team did a lot of the work in-house at their home base in South Carolina. They enlisted a local videographer to film the actors, then Sonoco staff edited the spots.
They started with a 30-second spot that launched nationwide and then broke it down into shorter formats for different audiences. Those 5-second to 7-second ads with distinct scenes pulled from the longer version catered to various market segments such as whipped topping, baked beans or automotive maintenance. Sonoco sent those commercials out to targeted regions.
“We know where our customers are. We know where big pockets of opportunity in the food and aerosol industry are — meaning we know where those major brands are, and we know where major retailers are,” Skipper said. “With the modernization of communication, I was able to do some really precise targeting with CTV ads.”
The campaign was pegged to Labor Day weekend to coincide with the beginning of fall activities such as football season and new television programming. The marketing team heavily circulated the spots on nationwide sports channels, financial channels such as Bloomberg, and “feel-good channels” like Hallmark, HGTV and the Food Network.
“We wanted to be associated with family — Labor Day weekend and what families do. And then we still wanted to hit the New York analysts, so we tried to get into the financial piece as well," Skipper said.
The company considered this limited run of commercials as a test case to see who spotted the ad and how it landed with target audiences. Sonoco knew that “consumers aren't expecting us to be there. [So] how did they react when we were there?” she said.
No small measure
Sonoco has yet to determine if it will expand the use of TV ad campaigns to highlight other packaging types within its portfolio. But the metal packaging division plans to use the tactic again.
The team measured the campaign's success based on factors including cost, the number of impressions and the click-through rate — determining the ads exceeded all metrics.
Sonoco declined to disclose how much it spent on the campaign, but the company is pleased with the return on investment.
"For the dollars we spent, we got more than we thought," Skipper said. "It's definitely in our ad plan for 2026.”
