Beth Sachan Dishes on the Popularity of Goo Goo Clusters

Goo Goos are as much a part of the Nashville scene as the Grand Ole Opry and Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge.  In fact, Goo Goo Clusters just opened a new store in downtown Nashville.   Beth Sachan, director of marketing for Goo Goo Cluster, recently told us about the new popularity for one of Nashville’s oldest treats. In 2011, the iconic candy celebrated its 100th Anniversary, but don’t think of it as old.

Keith Urban and the Walking Dead don’t think so.  Recently Keith Urban made quite a stir wearing a “What a Cluster” Goo Goo t-shirt on American Idol, and of course, the t-shirts immediately sold out at Goo Goo.  A Goo Goo bar also had a cameo in the mid-season finale of the popular TV series Walking Dead.  Character Morgan Jones stops inside a church to pray, leaving a rabbit’s foot, a bullet and a Goo Goo Cluster on the alter. Beth said “It wasn’t completely a surprise, but it was somewhat a surprise in how it was used. I was a bit surprised it had such prominent placement. …That was pretty cool.”

It seems that the Goo Goo Cluster has become an iconic southern product. When a person visits Nashville, eating a Goo Goo is almost always on their ‘Must Do’ list.  These days Goo Goo Clusters can be found in retail stores across the United States as well as online.

Beth says the story of how the candy came to be named comes in many versions, but the true story is that Howell Campbell, the inventor of the Goo Goo Cluster, was announcing to fellow passengers on a streetcar his newborn son’s first words and a schoolteacher made the connection with the candy. She suggested Mr. Campbell name his treat Goo Goo! It is so good, people will ask for it from birth.

Beth has been with Goo Goo since 2011.  In that time, Beth has overseen the marketing efforts behind the company’s 100 year anniversary celebration, coordinated sponsorships with the Nashville Sounds and Predators, launched successful retail campaigns at retailers like Walgreens and Kroger, and managed all PR and advertising for the newly opened Goo Goo Shop in downtown Nashville.

In addition to her role at Goo Goo, Beth is the creator of Eat. Drink. Smile., a successful food & drink blog, and a freelance writer that has contributed to The Tennessean, Nashville Lifestyles magazines, The Guardian and Expedia. Last year, Southern Living listed her personal Twitter account (@betheats) as “One of the Nine Southern Twitter Feeds You Should Be Following”.