Naked 'When Thungry, Get Naked' 2024 Case Study | Clapboard

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Naked Smoothies Coined Thungry and Made It Stick

How Naked Smoothies Turned a Made-Up Word Into a Cultural Craving

Naked's 'When Thungry, Get Naked' is a 2024 integrated campaign created by agency FIG for the Naked smoothie brand in the United States, built around the portmanteau 'thungry' — a blend of hungry and thirsty — positioning Naked as the single convenient solution for the ambiguous afternoon moment when consumers cannot clearly distinguish between hunger and thirst.

FIG launched the campaign on May 28, 2024, across a wide distribution footprint that included Meta, YouTube, TikTok, Peacock, Roku, BET+, and Disney+. The integrated push comprised multiple media assets, anchored by a hero thirty-second spot titled 'Aunt Beatrice,' which accumulated more than one million views on YouTube. The campaign's creative platform rested on a single, disarmingly simple premise: it is okay to feel two things at once as long as a bottle of Naked smoothie is in hand, a line that doubled as both tagline and consumer permission structure.

Naked is a smoothie brand owned by Tropicana Brands Group in the United States. The 2024 campaign marked a deliberate strategic repositioning away from the escape-and-indulgence territory that defined prior creative work, moving Naked firmly into the snack-substitute conversation. By naming an unnamed feeling that most consumers recognise immediately, the campaign created a proprietary cultural moment around a word the brand effectively coined, giving 'thungry' the texture of authentic everyday vocabulary rather than manufactured marketing shorthand. The campaign targets lifestyle-conscious adults and Gen Z consumers across the US market, a demographic noted by MediaPost as particularly receptive to the campaign's playful, self-aware tone.

Credits

Client

Naked

Category Mind Map

48%

Why the Thungry Insight Gave Naked Smoothies a Competitive Edge in 2024

FIG became Naked's creative agency of record in early 2024, according to reporting by figagency.com and reelchicago.com. That transition brought with it a sharper strategic brief: reframe Naked not as a juice but as a legitimate snack replacement capable of satisfying a hybrid craving state. The 'thungry' insight addressed the specific afternoon consumption window when consumers in the United States reach for whatever is nearest, a moment historically owned by snack bars, chips, and fast-casual grab-and-go options rather than chilled beverages.

The smoothie category in the United States operates within a competitive landscape shaped by brands including Bolthouse Farms and Odwalla, both of which have historically competed with Naked on nutritional credentials and refrigerated retail shelf presence. By repositioning around an emotional and physiological state rather than an ingredient list, Naked created distance from that feature-led competitive conversation. As reported by MediaPost in coverage dated June 3, 2024, the campaign was explicitly designed to target the afternoon moment and to appeal to Gen Z consumers, a cohort that responds to self-aware humour and relatable emotional specificity rather than aspirational wellness messaging.

The global smoothie category represents a growing market, with research firms including SkyQuest and Market Research Future tracking consistent annual growth in the mid-to-high single digits globally. While no audited brand-level market share figures for Naked within the United States packaged smoothie segment are publicly available, the campaign's post-launch performance — a sales increase of more than 13% in the 12 weeks following launch, according to The One Show case entry — indicates that the thungry positioning accelerated trial and repeat purchase in the brand's core US market.

Tom Kuntz, Aunt Beatrice and the Craft Behind Naked's Thungry Campaign

Director Tom Kuntz helmed the hero executions for the 'When Thungry, Get Naked' campaign, a credit confirmed across coverage by Little Black Book and figagency.com. Kuntz is recognised in the advertising industry for a deadpan comic register that suits character-led short-form storytelling, and the campaign's thirty-second 'Aunt Beatrice' spot demonstrates that sensibility precisely. The character of Aunt Beatrice functions as a vessel for the thungry feeling — specific enough to feel observed from life, broad enough to be immediately universal.

Justine Armour, Chief Creative Officer and Partner at FIG, described the development process to reelchicago.com and figagency.com, stating: 'Thungry was a pitch-winning idea that evolved and became simplified after we were awarded the business.' That simplification is evident in the final work. The campaign does not over-explain the portmanteau or burden the viewer with nutritional credentials. It presents the feeling, names it, and steps aside to let the product resolve it.

Alongside the longer-form hero content, LBBonline reported on May 30, 2024, that the campaign incorporated six-second animations produced by ManvsMachine, extending the thungry concept into short-form digital environments suited to social feeds and pre-roll placements on platforms including TikTok and YouTube. This multi-format approach — ranging from the thirty-second character comedy to the compressed six-second animation — allowed the campaign to maintain tonal consistency across radically different attention contexts. The distribution strategy, spanning streaming services including Peacock, Roku, BET+, and Disney+ alongside social platforms, reflected an understanding that the target consumer in the United States does not occupy a single media environment but moves fluidly across connected television and mobile-first surfaces throughout the day.

Naked Smoothies Sales Results and What the Thungry Campaign Earned

Sales increased by more than 13% in the 12 weeks following the campaign's launch, according to The One Show case entry for 'When Thungry, Get Naked.' That figure was accompanied by dollar share and volume share gains from competitors during the same 12-week post-launch window, also per The One Show case entry, confirming that the brand's growth was not purely category expansion but came at the direct expense of competing products in the United States packaged smoothie segment.

The campaign's industry recognition reflects the strength of both the strategic and creative thinking. The One Show awarded 'When Thungry, Get Naked' a Silver Pencil in 2025 in the TV, VOD, and Online category for spots thirty seconds and under in a series, with the entry recorded under annual ID OS25_FI008S, as documented by The One Club. D&AD listed the campaign in its 2025 awards archive under Writing for Advertising, according to dandad.org, though the specific award tier was not specified in publicly available records.

The 'Aunt Beatrice' thirty-second film alone accumulated more than one million views on YouTube, as recorded in campaign documentation. Clapboard rates this campaign 63 out of 100, reflecting strong strategic clarity and cultural resonance anchored by a genuinely ownable consumer insight, with room for deeper long-term brand-building beyond the initial portmanteau platform. The combination of measurable commercial results, peer-recognised creative craft, and a distribution footprint spanning connected television and social platforms positions 'When Thungry, Get Naked' as a durable example of insight-led work in the United States Food and Drink category.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Naked smoothie 'When Thungry, Get Naked' campaign?

'When Thungry, Get Naked' is an integrated campaign launched by Naked smoothies in the United States on May 28, 2024. Created by agency FIG, it coined the word 'thungry' — a blend of hungry and thirsty — to position Naked as the solution for an ambiguous afternoon craving moment, distributed across YouTube, TikTok, Peacock, and Disney+.

Who directed the Naked smoothie 'Aunt Beatrice' ad?

Tom Kuntz directed the 'Aunt Beatrice' spot for the 'When Thungry, Get Naked' campaign. The thirty-second film anchored Naked's 2024 integrated campaign in the United States and accumulated more than one million views on YouTube. Justine Armour, Chief Creative Officer at FIG, led creative development, describing 'thungry' as the pitch-winning idea that defined the work.

What does 'thungry' mean in the Naked smoothie campaign?

'Thungry' is a portmanteau of hungry and thirsty coined by agency FIG for Naked's 2024 United States campaign. It names the ambiguous afternoon feeling when consumers cannot distinguish between hunger and thirst. The campaign uses that specific emotional state to position Naked smoothies as the single convenient solution, targeting lifestyle-conscious and Gen Z consumers.

Did the Naked 'When Thungry, Get Naked' campaign win any advertising awards?

The One Show awarded the campaign a Silver Pencil in 2025 in the TV, VOD, and Online category for spots thirty seconds and under in a series, per oneclub.org. D&AD also listed the campaign in its 2025 awards archive under Writing for Advertising, according to dandad.org, though the specific award tier was not publicly confirmed.

How did Naked smoothie sales perform after the 'When Thungry, Get Naked' launch?

Sales increased by more than 13% in the 12 weeks following the campaign's launch, according to The One Show case entry. The brand also recorded dollar share and volume share gains from competitors during the same period in the United States market, indicating the growth came at the direct expense of rival smoothie brands rather than through category expansion alone.

Which agency created the Naked smoothies 'When Thungry, Get Naked' campaign?

FIG created the 'When Thungry, Get Naked' campaign after becoming Naked's creative agency of record in early 2024, as reported by figagency.com and reelchicago.com. The New York-based agency developed the thungry concept from a pitch-winning idea, working with director Tom Kuntz and animation studio ManvsMachine to build the full integrated campaign launched across the United States.