I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter has taken its brand mascot somewhere most spokescharacters never go: the self-help shelf. Tubz, the tub-shaped character introduced only five months ago, is now the credited author of Lifting the Lid, a 78-page paperback that went on sale today on Amazon.
The book arrives with a foreword by Fabio, the model who became synonymous with the brand in earlier decades. It frames Tubz as a former fridge staple facing a very recognizable problem: a slow slide from relevance.
From mascot to memoirist
The actual writing was handled by social media producer Cassy White and a ghostwriter. But the strategic intent is genuine. White told Adweek the team saw a book as a way to make a five-month-old mascot feel more fully formed and relatable.
That is a different move from the usual mascot playbook. Rather than using Tubz only for gags, the brand is giving him a backstory, an arc and a redemption narrative.
Why the brand needs a comeback
The story Tubz tells mirrors the product’s actual trajectory. When the spread launched in 1981, it promised 70% less fat than butter at a time when consumers were worried about cholesterol and fat. It became a grocery phenomenon, but its position eroded as butter returned to favor and margarine lost ground.
The business has since changed hands. KKR acquired the brand as part of Unilever’s sale of its spreads division in 2017 for €6.8 billion, or more than $8 billion. Now under Flora Food Group, the product has been reformulated with vitamins A, D, E and B12, plus omega-3 ALA. The brand is also positioning itself for consumers taking GLP-1 medications by highlighting nutrient support amid reduced food intake.
What marketers can watch
- Give a new mascot depth quickly by attaching it to a story of change instead of a one-off joke.
- Use product reformulation and health-relevant claims to give an older brand a modern reason to be considered.
- Pull in nostalgia strategically: Fabio’s foreword connects the campaign to cultural memory without making the whole idea retro.
Gary Rizzo, who leads marketing for Flora Food Group, said the book is ultimately “a story of progress,” which is a broadly relatable theme. For marketing teams, the lesson is not that every mascot needs a book. It is that a mascot works harder when it represents a brand truth: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter is trying to recover lost relevance, and Tubz is personifying that effort.
Source: Adweek
