It might be hard to believe, but there was a time not too long ago when Slim Jims weren’t something for teenage boys to “snap into,” but rather, something their tired old dads were meant to enjoy alongside a tall mug of beer while bellied up to the bar after work. The story of Slim Jim's unlikely alliance with the world of professional wrestling is a fascinating journey that transformed the brand and cemented its place in pop culture.
From Bar Snack to Teenage Sensation
First introduced in the early ‘40s, Slim Jims-then sold under the Penn Rose moniker-were born to be a less greasy, easily cured pepperoni alternative for barflies looking to grab a snack. The spicy, meaty snacks languished behind bar counters in large jars of vinegar until the 1950s, when co-creators Adolph Levis and Peter Cherry decided to individually wrap the sticks. This allowed them to move out of bar rooms and into convenience stores. From there, they were embraced by road dogs and beatniks looking for something quick to eat as they explored America’s newly expanding Interstate Highway System. General Mills bought the brand in 1967 and made a run at expanding the market by using sports newscaster Howard Cosell as a spokesperson, but it wasn’t until 1989 that then-owner GoodMark Foods realized that the brand’s real potential audience might be too young to drink or drive.
After conducting the first real market research into the brand’s fan base, the company discovered that a good portion of Slim Jim sales were to teenage boys. This demographic had allowance money to burn and was into the grown-up vibes of convenience store shopping, but wasn’t yet old enough to snag a six-pack or a scratcher. GoodMark enlisted the help of Tom Leland, an ad writer and creative consultant from North Castle Partners who discovered, through focus groups, that people liked the tangy “snap” that occurs when you bite through the Slim Jim’s casing. (That snap is a result of the lactic acid “starter” the brand uses in its 17-hour meat curing process.) Leland and his team seized on the verb, which they thought conveyed not just a motion but a bit of rude, frenetic energy, which ultimately led to the slogan snap into a Slim Jim.
Finding the Perfect Spokesperson
Leland and Slim Jim, hoping to capture some of the rowdy youth culture of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, approached wild man comedian Sam Kinison to be the brand’s new spokesperson, but his team declined. They next tapped into the popularity of professional wrestling, which had captured the hearts and minds of young men everywhere with its over-the-top personalities and must-see pay-per-view events like the WWE’s Royal Rumble. The sport’s biggest star at the time, Hulk Hogan, was deemed too straight-laced to rep the brand, so the long-haired, fringe-clad Ultimate Warrior (Hogan’s in-ring rival at the time) was hired to be the brand’s first hyper-aggro, meat-splitting spokesperson instead.
The "Macho Man" Era
Fast forward to 1993, when the Ultimate Warrior was replaced by the flamboyant “Macho Man” Randy Savage, whose barking delivery quickly made him synonymous with the brand. Savage had “screw you” attitude to spare, as well as a general disdain for authority that Slim Jim consumers really seemed to love. He’d hold onto his role as the brand’s main spokesperson until 2000, smashing through walls on TV to antagonize boring adults and add “a little excitement” to the lives of fictional young people on the regular.
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In each of these commercials, Randy would occasionally invade a normal boring location and lighten it up by making things explode by eating slim jims. You heard me right, eery time he or someone else eats a slim jim something explodes with in the perimeter. Wether its light bulbs, a stage set, or a computer, everything explodes when someone eats a slim jim. Cause that’s the tagline “Want a little excitement? Snap into a Slim Jim!” Other commercials would have Randy disposing chips or pizza and claims that Slim Jims are a real man’s snack. Constantly expressing the combination of beef and spice making it the ultimate snack.
These commercials came to an end sometime in the mid to late 90s. Slim Jim focused on different hosts for their commercials including the Slim Jim Guy and other wrestlers(but that’s another story). Randy Savage’s exposure to Slim Jim created a huge impact on his career and on the Slim Jim company. Some merchandise was made on the adds, while people gradually recognize Randy due to his role in these ads. And that’s one of the things people will remember him the most by right next to his wrestling occupation. He was a wrestler like no other, always wore shades and bright color clothes in public. There won’t be another like him with in this life time.
In one spot, Savage descends through the glass ceiling of a lighting store where a pair of teen employees are being teased by an older, surly boss, and gives them the opportunity to “light up” their lives by biting into the salty snack, triggering explosions around the store.
Macho Man Randy Savage Slim Jim commercials
A Lasting Legacy
Even after Savage’s untimely passing, his connection to Slim Jim remains strong. In 2018, Slim Jim reached an agreement with Savage’s estate to use his name and likeness to promote its products, Amy Morgan, director of brand content and communication at Conagra, told us. Savage Sticks, a product born from that agreement, are three times the size of a Giant Slim Jim, and the packaging features Savage’s face. In 2019, Slim Jim came out with a “Savage Slim Jim,” a super-sized snack bearing the late wrestler’s image.
The partnership between WWE and Slim Jim, which dates back to the 1990s, has seen a resurgence in recent years. Last August, the jerky company kicked off its larger partnership with WWE at the SummerSlam Battle Royal presented by Slim Jim.
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The enduring appeal of the "Snap into a Slim Jim!" slogan and the image of Randy Savage continue to resonate with fans, bridging the gap between the brand's history and its present-day marketing efforts. The commercials helped propel both Slim Jim and Randy Savage into the pop culture lexicon.
Revival of the Partnership
After a decades-long hiatus, though, the brands reconnected last summer, announcing a multi-year sponsorship deal that includes content with WWE performers, in-store events, and online sweepstakes. “It was to bridge the history of our brand, which is pretty remarkable with Randy Savage and those iconic ads, with the present day, and WWE is such an iconic property and has so much relevancy now,” Lanie Friedman, senior director of content and communications for Conagra Brands, which sells and manufactures Slim Jim, said. “We’ve always seen that our community, even in the social space, references wrestling.”
WWE and Slim Jim today announced a multi-layered partnership that will begin with Slim Jim serving as the Presenting Sponsor of a marquee match at SummerSlam on Saturday, Aug. 5 at Ford Field in Detroit. WWE and Slim Jim first crossed paths thirty years ago with a series of explosive, in-your-face Slim Jim commercials, featuring “Macho Man” Randy Savage debuting the famous tagline “Snap Into a Slim Jim!” that has remained a hallmark of the Slim Jim brand ever since. The two global brands will tap into that rich history with a reenergized, multi-platform campaign which begins with “The SummerSlam Battle Royal Presented by Slim Jim,” the first of several custom integrations at WWE’s Premium Live Events.
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