A few times a week, out the window of his Gloucester office, Jake Holbrook sees cars pull over to the side of the road, then watches as people pop out, take selfies including the looming Gorton’s fisherman sign, and drive off. These regular visitors are a testament, he says, to the iconic staying power of a brand that started as a simple fish dealership in the mid 1800s.
“People, when they hear Gorton’s, they think of the Gorton’s fisherman,” says Holbrook, the company’s vice president of marketing. “It’s a history we’re very proud of.”
This year, leading frozen seafood company Gorton’s is celebrating that history—all 175 years of it—with “Yellow Out of the Blue,” a campaign to commit small, surprising acts of joy throughout the country, inspired by the brand’s highly identifiable yellow color, a bright and uplifting hue. The company donated bikes to local food pantry the Open Door, gave yellow soccer balls to a middle school, contributed yellow books to Little Free Libraries throughout the Gloucester and Boston areas, cleaned up beaches, and much more.
The original goal was to execute 175 of these joyful acts, but the company had already more than doubled this target by the time it took the campaign public in June.
“We’re really engaging with our consumers and spreading joy,” Holbrook says.
Gorton’s began as John Pew & Sons in 1849. In 1906, the company joined forces with the Slade Gorton Company, an innovator in preserving salted codfish, and two other local fisheries. The merged company continued using the Slade Gorton logo—a fisherman in oilskins gripping the wheel of a sailing ship—which has evolved into the brand icon still used today.
Along the way, the business expanded from simply catching and selling fish to finding new ways to prepare and preserve its catch so households beyond the coast could enjoy seafood. In 1949, the company sent the first shipment across the country in a refrigerated truck. Gorton’s released its first fried, frozen cod in 1952; the next year it debuted the now-classic fish stick.
In 1956, the company opened the Seafood Center, a production facility that is an anchor of Gloucester’s working waterfront to this day. Nearly all Gorton’s products are made and packed at this center.
“We are a community with a strong fishing history and rich maritime identity. It makes sense that Gorton’s would be at home here,” says Gloucester mayor Greg Verga. “Gorton’s has been an institution in Gloucester for generations, and we are proud to have it in our city.”
Gorton’s, Holbrook says, has managed to not just survive but become a household name for two reasons.
“Two big pieces of that are the people who work here and our continued focus on innovation,” he says.
The company has made it a priority to constantly adapt to the ever-changing needs of consumers. Though Gorton’s might be synonymous with fish for many people, the company has recently expanded its lineup of shrimp products. It has also introduced a line of air-fried fish filets and butterfly shrimp for customers interested in a lower-fat product.
The company has kept up with growing concerns about the environment and overfishing. Gorton’s has worked diligently with National Grid to lower its energy use and reduce its carbon footprint. And the New England Aquarium acts as a consultant for Gorton’s, helping the company understand which fish species and which geographic areas are the most sustainable sources.
“It is our duty to ensure we are protecting our seafood sources to ensure it’s here for the long term,” Holbrook says.
Gorton’s marketing campaigns have also kept up with the times. Last year the brand jumped onto TikTok, garnering 100,000 followers in just a few months. The strategy included videos of kids happily chomping on fish sticks, influencers introducing the new air-fried line, and an augmented reality filter that let users catch fish in their mouths. The campaign won an AdAge award for best use of TikTok by a small agency for Connelly Partners.
With 175 years behind it, what does Gorton’s do now? Stick with the principles that got it here in the first place. A recent customer survey made it clear the company is on the right track, Holbrook says: “There was a sense from consumers that if you’ve been around for 175 years, you must be doing something right.”