McKinney tells the untold story of Texas Pete

Full-service agency McKinney has launched hot sauce brand Texas Pete’s new integrated campaign, The Tale of Texas Pete: Let Flavor Run Wild, directed by Mama through Caviar.

Texas Pete, created in 1929 by the Garner family, is a spicy red pepper sauce named to embody American spirit and Texas's reputation for bold flavours, with its roots in Winston-Salem, NC. Still family-owned, Garner Foods partnered with McKinney in 2024 to expand the brand nationally, leveraging their shared Southeastern heritage and a passionate team close to home. This is the first national brand campaign since their partnership began.

The 'Hot Sauce Old Guard' — brands like Frank’s RedHot, Cholula, Tapatio, Tabasco, and of course Texas Pete — face a growing category and an increasingly crowded marketplace with a long-term sales projection anywhere between $13 billion and $17 billion by 2029 (Mintel). Recognising that challenger brands have a better chance at breaking aisle blindness once they hit the shelf, McKinney embarked on a mission to aid storied brand Texas Pete in recapturing the eyes of consumers beyond the Southeast.

The campaign reintroduces this nearly one-hundred-year-old beloved brand to flavour lovers across America by pairing a personified version of their mascot with a character theme song, The Ballad of Texas Pete. The spot highlights the brand’s deep roots in Southern culture and its overlooked yet iconic cowboy mascot, bringing to life the taste of adventure that every splash of Texas Pete adds to a meal. The boot-stompin' ballad is catchy and quick, with the sign off “whatever your dinner needs, Texas Pete.”

The video-led campaign, launched today, will run across CTV, Online Video and social and will appear in retail search, in-store aisle signage and bespoke merchandising activations throughout the year. Retailer Data will fuel the campaign's targeting approach, connecting the Texas Pete story from awareness to purchase, and enabling the attribution of unit sales to dollars spent.