I Can't Believe It's Not Butter publishes a self-help book written by its tub mascot

Key Takeaways

• I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! has launched Lifting the Lid, a 78-page self-help book narrated by its mascot, Tubz, exploring his journey from forgotten advertising icon to making a comeback.

• The book features a foreword from Fabio, who famously appeared in the brand’s adverts throughout the 1990s, bringing another familiar face from its advertising history into the story.

• Launched on 22 September, the paperback is available to purchase on Amazon.

There was a time when I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! was one of the most recognisable names in American kitchens, helped along by a string of memorable adverts featuring Fabio, who spent much of the 1990s convincing audiences that the spread tasted just like the real thing. But as consumer preferences shifted and butter began making a comeback of its own, the brand found itself facing a rather different reality. Now, instead of pretending those glory days never ended, it's turning its journey back into the spotlight into a self-help book, written from the perspective of a talking tub of spread.

Titled Lifting the Lid, the 78-page paperback follows Tubz, the brand's mascot introduced earlier this year, as he reflects on his rise to fame, his gradual fall from favour and the lessons he's learnt while rebuilding his confidence. It's an unexpectedly personal story of reinvention from a brand that has decided to make its own history the subject of its latest marketing campaign.

Tubz shares his journey from forgotten icon to comeback story in Lifting the Lid

Launched on Amazon on 22 September, Lifting the Lid takes the familiar format of a self-help memoir and gives it a rather unusual author. Credited to Tubz himself, the book was written by social media producer Cassy White with a ghostwriter, following the mascot as he looks back on the days when he was supposedly in every fridge in America before experiencing what he describes as a "slow, imperceptible descent" from fame.

The book also features a foreword from Fabio, whose long-haired appearances in the brand's advertising throughout the 1990s helped establish I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! as a household name. His involvement brings a familiar face from the brand's past into the campaign, with the former spokesperson reflecting on the importance of change, confidence and believing in yourself.

It's a particularly fitting reunion given that the book draws on the brand's own history. Now owned by Flora Food Group, the brand has undergone reformulation as part of its efforts to introduce the product to a new generation of consumers, with Tubz becoming the face of that next chapter following his introduction in April 2026.

Tubz shares his journey from forgotten icon to comeback story in Lifting the Lid

What's particularly interesting about this campaign is that I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! has chosen to acknowledge something that many brands would probably prefer to leave out of their marketing, that it isn't quite the cultural phenomenon it once was.

Brands with decades of history often lean heavily into nostalgia when trying to reconnect with consumers, bringing back familiar packaging, advertising characters or products in the hope of reminding people why they loved them in the first place. While that can be effective, it doesn't necessarily give audiences a reason to reconsider the brand today, particularly when the product itself has changed.

By turning its decline into the central storyline of Lifting the Lid, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! has found a way to celebrate its history without suggesting that everything was better in the past. Tubz becomes a character who has experienced the same ups and downs as the brand itself, making the wider message about change and reinvention feel much more accessible.

The choice of a self-help book also gives the campaign a brilliant layer of humour. We're all familiar with celebrity memoirs and motivational books promising to help readers rediscover their confidence, overcome setbacks or become the best version of themselves, so applying those conventions to a tub of spread is funny before you've even opened the book.

It's a similar approach to E.ON bringing Bob the Builder back to school , where a familiar character is given a new role that reflects the brand's present-day message. In both cases, the character's history becomes part of the creative idea, giving audiences something recognisable to connect with while introducing a different side of the brand.

Why The PR Insider loves it

I love campaigns that aren't afraid to acknowledge a brand's history, particularly when that history includes moments that might not traditionally make it into a marketing brief. There's something incredibly refreshing about I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! effectively admitting that it had its moment, lost some of its relevance and is now working on itself, all through the eyes of a talking tub of spread.

If a tub of spread can overcome a crisis of confidence, perhaps there's hope for the rest of us.

SOURCES

[1] PR Newswire

[2] WWD