Ocean Spray – Straight from the Bog
STRATEGIC CHALLENGE
'Drink your juice' - it's a line we all heard from our parents while growing up. Back in the day, juice was a way to get essential vitamins and nutrients into our bodies. It was a trusted part of the American diet, and due to its unique and refreshing taste, Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail was a top pick.
Then the world changed. By the turn of the century, America was becoming fat, and low carb diets were all the rage. Juice was stricken from many people's diets, especially those of children, who drink almost ® of all juice in the United States. Experts decried high-carb juice as for a cause of the obesity epidemic. The American Academy of Pediatrics stated that “drinking too much juice can contribute to obesity, the development of cavities as well as a myriad of other problems.” And the U.S.D.A. National Nutrient Database alerted consumers that a one-cup serving of apple juice had over 27 grams of sugar, equaling the sugar content of a regular-sized Snickers bar.
Such publicity was not good for the juice industry, and it was not good for Ocean Spray. According to Information Resources, Inc (IRI), 6 in 10 adults in 2005 were avoiding drinking fruit juice in the interest of good health. Juice category sales were down 20% between 2000 and 2005. Ocean Spray's sales over the same period were down over 22%. Additionally, the brand's household penetration dropped over 13 points over a 10 year period to an all time low of 30.7 (Source: Ocean Spray Proprietary Information).
As consumers shied away from sugar and watched their calorie intake more closely, the entire beverage industry was moved to react. Giants such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola put marketing dollars behind diet drinks while also pouring millions into the development of new, 'healthier' products. Underdogs like Naked and Pom used claims about powerful antioxidants to overcome the amount of natural sugar and calories in their beverages. Bottled waters, vitamin drinks, energy elixirs, sodas with minerals, drinks made with 'super' foods - all were flooding the market at an alarming pace.
With the influx of healthy beverages and beverage marketing's new focus on health benefits, Ocean Spray needed to follow suit. The company needed to break down barriers with consumers so as to get them to reconsider juice. Consumers needed a more balanced, realistic understanding of Cranberry juice's benefits to provide them with a reason to purchase it. Although a trusted brand for over 75 years, Ocean Spray needed to prove that they could be part of a healthy diet in light of new scientific knowledge about the benefits of the Cranberry.
Interestingly, Ocean Spray had never spoken about the health component of their juice. They hadn't had to: Consumers wanted to hear about great taste and refreshment in their beverages, not the health benefits. To be frank, the health benefit that people associated with cranberry juice - its role in the prevention of urinary tract infections - was not exactly mainstream marketing material. In light of the changing consumer landscape it was important to figure out how to leverage the inherent health benefits of the cranberry. We made it our mission to figure out what that health story was and to communicate it in a way that was a) relevant to consumers and b) true to the 75 year-old Ocean Spray co-op.
OBJECTIVES
Our specific objectives were as follows:
Objective 1: Increase Base Volume. Ocean Spray's sales volume had been down for years, but had seen a significant increase with the launch of the “Straight From the Bog” Campaign in 2005. We wanted to continue the growth by 5% over the previous year.
Objective 2: Increase Share of Market. Ocean Spray has always been a leader in the shelf-stable juice category, which includes everything from Motts and Welch's to Hi-C and Capri-Sun. In recent years, Capri Sun had passed Ocean Spray. Although we regained the lead last September, we wanted to increase it.
Objective 3: Increase web traffic & Cranberry Club membership. Web traffic had remained flat for years. The goal was to increase it by at least 10% during the critical October/November time frame. More importantly, we needed to grow a loyal fan base of cran fans. We set forth a goal of doubling the Cranberry Club Membership.
Objective 4: Get our marketing noticed with consumers, the press, and selfishly, the industry: Ocean Spray advertising had flown under the radar for years. As declines in household penetration revealed, the advertising was clearly not helping Ocean Spray stay relevant. We needed to rectify this by ensuring we over-delivered on our media plan, exceeded the goal of 900MM PR impressions, and started to gain some industry recognition.
Objective 5: Increase and stabilize brand measures: Ocean Spray had begun to see a decrease in key brand equity measures including 'good for you' measures as well as 'trust' and 'quality' measures. We wanted the research to turn these declines around with our 'Tastes Good' and 'Good for you' messaging (Source: Millward Brown).
THE BIG IDEA
Re-introduce the cranberry, and its inherent powerful health benefits, to America.
Although reams of research showed that people loved the taste of Ocean Spray, consumers weren't buying it anymore. Luckily, we had a secret weapon to help us out: The Cranberry.
Cranberries have phyto-chemicals called pro-anthocyanidins - PACs for short. PAC's are a very special type of anti-oxidant that literally glom onto the bacteria in various parts of your body and flush them out. PACs along with the vitamin C in cranberries helps strengthen the immune system.
By 2005, consumers had become aware of both antioxidants and phytonutrients. Our main target, boomer women, was looking for information about nutrition even as they were becoming more knowledgeable. Ocean Spray had never mentioned cranberry's antioxidant content, as they had never needed to. However all the other beverages were jumping on the antioxidant band wagon. Even Capri-Sun, a beverage with less then 10% juice, was claiming antioxidant power. Ocean Spray didn't need to reformulate, didn't need to innovate or add anything to their beverages. We just needed to figure out what we wanted to say about them.
So antioxidants it was. Significantly, we chose to go with the action mechanism of our antioxidants rather then just stating we had them. By focusing on how the antioxidants work, we could tell a story about cranberries in a way that was consumer friendly, educational, but never excessively scientific. After multiple rounds of scientific and consumer research, we landed on a motivating health claim that Ocean Spray could own. “Powerful nutrients that cleanse and purify your body and help strengthen your immune system” became our mantra and our health claim for all communications. With this message in hand, we could remind consumers that cranberries are, after all, healthy fruit, and that the benefits of a glass of cranberry juice far outweigh concerns about carbs and calories. It was time for us to re-introduce the cranberry, and its health benefits, to America.
BRINGING THE IDEA TO LIFE
To make the proper re-introduction, we needed to tell the cranberry's story, so we went straight to the bog. The Ocean Spray brand was born in the bogs and still lives there. Also, with a natural beauty comprised of vibrant red berries, stunning green pines, and a crystal clear blue sky, the bog telegraphs the natural, healthy origins of the juice.
To help us tell the rest of the story, we developed Justin & Henry, two amusing characters who've spent a few too many hours in the bog together. They are the embodiment of the actual co-op growers who toil in the bogs every day to ensure that consumers get only the best fruit possible. In their own expert way, Justin and Henry told the story of the cranberry and its powerful health benefits through print, targeted thematics in circulars, as well as national television.
By articulating our message across all mediums, we hoped to spark quick increases in sales and consumer interaction with the brand. We needed to; the brand had experienced multiple years of declining sales and was feeling the pressure. Ocean Spray isn't just a company; it's a co-op that supports thousands of families. Growers who had relied on the co-op for years were questioning the benefit of remaining members. Ocean Spray had to turn it around - and fast!
On top of the print and breakthrough TV (we'll get to that in the results section), we wanted to bring the beauty of the cranberry bog straight to consumers. In November 2006, we took over Rockefeller Center in NYC, Pioneer Court in Chicago, and Hollywood & Highland Center in Los Angeles. We not only built bogs but created an interactive branded experience that connected with consumers in these three key markets. The bogs we built were massive fields of cranberries tended to by real growers who educated consumers on the health benefits, the versatility, and the heritage of the cranberries. Surrounding the bogs, we had farm stands for product sampling, cooking demonstration areas, as well as opportunities to speak with the growers as well as our TV characters Justin & Henry.
At the bogs, consumers were offered the unique experience of learning about the harvest, the growers' heritage, and the cranberry's unique health benefits from Ocean Spray's very own growers. Did you know, for instance, that it was Native Americans who first took advantage of cranberries? They mixed deer meat and mashed cranberries to make pemmicana-a survival food. They also believed in cranberries' medicinal value long before science discovered it. Medicine men used cranberries in poultices to draw poison from arrow wounds. Sailors used them to prevent scurvy, as they're a great source of vitamin C.
Celebrity chefs and healthcare professionals joined in the events to amplify the cranberry message. Likewise, “Bog Squad” sampling teams distributed over 150,000 samples of juice and Craisins, sweetened dried cranberries that pack the same great health benefits into a tasty treat. Photos were taken bog-side, and drive to web coupon redemption and collateral with recipes and coupons was provided to drive usage occasion and sales. To ensure consumers knew about the bog events, we surrounded these three markets with transit and phone kiosk advertising as well as radio remotes.
All of these efforts were supported by an aggressive public relations campaign that showed up in magazines from Health to Cooking Light to promote the health benefits and unique anti-oxidants as well as the berry's versatility. We secured placement on Iron Chef and Martha Stewart and even got Al Roker in the bog. The combination of these elements created a successful integrated effort to get consumers to 'rediscover the cranberry'.
Communications Touch Points
Additional Marketing Components: Couponing
Reach: Local, national
Total Media Expenditure: $20–40 million
RESULTS
Objective 1: Increase Base Volume by 5% year over year: Our huge 4 week bog effort saw base volume increase by 6.4% over the previous year. We sustained this momentum over the entire year, defying category declines. Base volume has increased 11.6% verses a year ago, while overall category volume has decreased5.6% during the same time frame (Source: IRI).
Objective 2: Increase Share of Market: We saw a 1.7 point market share increase during the four week Bog Tour vs. a year ago. Over the entire year, Ocean Spray remains at 9.0% volume share and has +1.0 pts more than the second leading brand Capri Sun (8.0%). Within a category that includes everything from Motts and Welch's to Capri Sun and Hi-C, enjoying a 9% share is a major feat (Source: IRI).
Objective 3: Increase web traffic by 10% & Double Cranberry Club Membership: During the bog tour, web visits increased 12% vs. Nov. 05. Cranberry Club membership increased by 314%, far exceeding our initial goal of doubling membership (Source: Ocean Spray).
Objective 4: Get our marketing noticed with consumers, the press, and selfishly, the industry: Consumers: Our Fall TV Media Plan Reached 84% of women 35 – 54 with over 268,679,000 impressions, an impressive over delivery in comparison to other equivalent media buys (Source: IMS Data based on actualized Media GRPs).
Press: The great PR efforts garnered over 1.3 billion media impressions within two months through the fall bog tour events far exceeding our goal of 900 million media impressions (Source: PR impressions from Cision Data & Nielson Net Ratings).
Industry: From an industry standpoint Our Ninja & Alone spots both made AdWeek Top 10 recalled spots. We also received multiple industry awards this year including Marketer of the year – Hatch Awards, the Gold David Ogilvy ARF Award in Beverage, as well as a Reggie for Best 2007 Local Promotion for the Bog Tour (Sources: Adweek, Boston, AdClub, Ogilvy ARF Award Committee, PMA Reggie Award Committee).
Objective 5: Increase and stabilize brand measures: The Winter and Spring media support behind the 'Straight From The Bog' campaign helped to stabilize and increase some of the measures that began to decline. The SFTB commercials have had a very strong branded impact by very efficiently converting media spend into advertising awareness for the brand. There has been improvement in imagery with the recent advertising. Both functional attributes such as 'Are good for you' and 'Offers a good variety' and equity images of 'Trust' and 'Quality' are increasing back with the recent spend after decreasing at the end of 2006.The impression that Ocean Spray CJC helps to cleanse and purify your body significantly increased due to 'Alone' (Source: Millward Brown).
Anything Else Going on that might have Helped Drive Results?
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