Gerber Graduates – Wobbly World

Category: Packaged Food

Brand: Gerber Graduates

Client: Gerber

Primary Agency: Draftfcb

Media Agency: MindShare

Contributing Agency: Zipatoni

STRATEGIC CHALLENGE

Keep Mom in the Baby Aisle

In addition to three stages of baby food, Gerber had launched various toddler foods by 1990. In 2006, although Gerber was experiencing a year-over-year growth rate of 15% with their toddler foods, they knew they could get much more share of stomach in the toddler category. At that time, 90% of competitive share came from table foods, and a small bit from an increasing number of direct competitors. A true toddler category of foods had yet to be created. We saw this as their golden opportunity.

Moms were loyal to the Gerber developmental stages of feeding – to a point. Penetration of 1^st stage foods was 60%, but by 3^rd stage foods, penetration dropped to 36%. Mothers of toddlers feel pressured to prepare healthy meals for their child. By aligning their toddler's eating with the rest of the family, mom was reaching a developmental milestone and leaving the baby aisle behind. We had to find a compelling way to keep mom in the aisle and better transition her to toddler foods before we lost her forever (Source: Client data 2006).

OBJECTIVES

Our campaign strategy involved two clear objectives:

• Clearly establish toddler food as a category and Graduates as a brand

• Recognize toddlerhood as a distinct chapter in mom/child's life and connect the Graduates brand to that experience.

CREATE A CATEGORY

Not another Stage of Babyfood, a New Phase for Mom and Baby

Up until this time, Gerber had treated toddler foods as an extension of their baby food line, both in how they branded the products and how they communicated. After doing a store audit of Mass, Grocery, Drug and Natural retailers, we quickly assessed that a specific “Toddler Section” did not exist in the store. Also, there was inconsistency across channels in the way products were displayed. Products themselves were a blend of toddler and baby food, eg. with toddler food in baby jars and 3 rd stage foods and Graduates grouped together on-shelf and online. The branding architecture was loosely held together under the Graduates and Gerber logos, but hierarchy was not clear.

Within what was considered toddler foods, multiple branding architectures for products existed: Fruit Splashers, Mini Fruits, Pasta Pickups and Li'l Entrees all competed for consumer recognition of a discrete line of toddler food. Our first recommend was to simplify the branding architecture on individual lines to help better establish a toddler brand: Graduates from Gerber.

Relevance, Relevance, Relevance

Most importantly, toddler food and baby food were also advertised jointly. Even the classic Gerber line, “Shouldn't your baby be a Gerber baby?” was merely adapted for toddler, “Shouldn't your toddler still be a Gerber baby?” Gerber's infant campaign, though moderately successful for infant, scored much lower perceptually and attitudinally for toddler moms.

Our challenge was to develop a brand that would connect and really resonate with Moms of Toddlers to establish and grow a category of Toddler Food. Specifically, we would be deemed successful if we:

• Expanded Gerber's compassionate brand image into the toddler age range and solidified an awareness of Graduates as a “brand for me,” and a product “made by a company that understands my needs and my toddler's needs.”

• Increased cross-segment usage gaining a foothold as a viable meal and snack option for toddlers

• Increased our penetration of dinners for 9–24 months households

THE BIG IDEA

“Graduates from Gerber: Steady nutrition for a wobbly world”

Client Leverageable Truth: Nutritional Evangelists

The Agency fielded a custom brand health study and found that Gerber remains one of the most loved and trusted brands in the United States amongst the general population, outscoring Coca Cola, Levi's, Nike or even Starbucks. With this iconic status comes responsibility and the permission to think BIG THOUGHTS. For Gerber, that goal is “To cut childhood obesity in half in the next 5 years.” Kurt Schmidt CEO, Gerber

“Start Healthy, Stay Healthy” is their unifying mission statement. Stakeholder interviews revealed this mission to be more than packaged goods puffery. From knowing where each veggie comes from, promoting 5-a-day fruits and vegetables, offering organic options before the market demanded it, or initiating the largest study ever done on the nutritional state of infants and toddlers, Gerber is a company with an unwavering commitment to the health and wellness of infants and toddlers.

Advertising had been used to educate moms on the developmental needs of infants (and toddlers) and the safety measures inherent in feeding their delicate systems. But copy testing revealed these educational messages were not as relevant or resonant to Moms as they entered the toddler phase.

Knowing nutrition would absolutely be central to our brand promise, we sought to better understand mom's perspective on life and on nutrition.

Consumer Relevance: Toddler Tornado Transforming Two Lives

After reviewing secondary literature sources on the developmental traits of baby and toddler, we focused our discovery process on understanding the difference between life with baby vs. life with toddler from mom's lens. What was different? When did it change? Where did food fit into the equation?

A series of ethnographies and friendship playgroups with a mix of first-time and experienced, working and stay-at-home moms (and their toddlers) revealed that life with a toddler is a totally different world than that with a baby. Moms were somewhat blown away, after a year of quiet cuddling, to suddenly find herself engulfed by what can only be described as the Toddler Tornado. Predictable becomes unpredictable and order becomes chaos. Everyday becomes a new adventure - cluttered, loud, and on the move - and moms develop a new set of needs, attitudes and compromises to get them through it, especially when it comes to feeding.

Unlike the impressionable stage of baby, it was evident that by toddlerhood, moms were feeling more confident or at least more ingenious as mothers. As a baby grows stronger and becomes more independent, moms also begin to be more pragmatic. They can think beyond just what is best for baby, and can factor in what's important to her (the mom) as well.

Learning this, in communications we would never preach to her, but absolutely embrace her ingenuity and support her on the ride that is the Toddler Tornado. A shift from the infant approach, this story was as much about her as it was about the child.

Competitive Opportunity: Convenience without Compromise

To determine what might be the competitive opportunity, we conducted Pediatric interviews, web searches, store visits, and more peeking in moms' cupboards and freezers. This revealed that unlike baby food, there is no roadmap to toddler feeding and no clear “toddler brand”. Table food is the unwashed “competitor” with the addition of more specific toddler-appropriate products like Cheerios trying to carve out this space. Although moms are eager to get their child onto table food, they aren't sure as to what toddlers should eat, how much, how often, or the most important question – why aren't they eating?!

Moms aspire to a perfectly nutritious toddler diet, using healthy, fresh ingredients, abiding by Food Pyramid and instituting the family dinner. But we found that most moms were compromising in the face of realities. Busy lives combined with an ever-changing toddler mind, means that moms take a broad view on their approach to nutrition. Food is only nutritious if you can get your child to eat it. They allow themselves the compromise, and in some cases that compromise had become a slippery slope... Based on Gerber's proprietary research, French Fries had become the #1 vegetable in a toddler's diet.

The ownable opportunity space is to offer moms foods that are both convenient, nutritious and developmentally appropriate: traits Gerber Graduates can offer. Our communications would not try to compete with her desire to offer table food, but supplement her efforts (offer a tool) when things don't go to plan.

BRINGING THE IDEA TO LIFE

The organizing idea that drove 360 communications: “Graduates from Gerber: Steady nutrition for a wobbly world.”

As important as this idea was to the integrated marketing process, so to was the brand personality that acknowledged both Mom and child: “A brand that embraces the rambunctious world of toddlerhood and celebrates Mom's ingenuity through it all!”

Seeking to represent the authenticity of real moms, creatives visited the front lines of toddlerhood and simply radio-ed back what they were seeing. They reveled in the chaos and depicted truly heroic stories of moms steadfast in battle. The campaign came to life through the idea of “mom interrupted”.

TV was a series of product testimonials from moms in the midst of the wobbly world. Of course, they're too busy to give a full testimonial, so they're interrupted seconds into these quick :15 spots. Just enough time to state the problem and hail the solution. Casting was careful to have women/men/toddlers that were relatable – not perfect moms/parents, but women who were doing the best they could and laughing their way through it. The campaign was planned to surprise mom everywhere along her media routine.

Print was a snapshot of the television and placed in environments where moms were actively seeking information on how to navigate the new challenges she was facing in the wobbly world.

Probably the most poignant depiction of the organizing idea was done on the web, where Creatives built a site section called the “Toddler Takeover”. Gerber.com/toddlers was designed to convey the new and chaotic world of toddlerhood and position Gerber Graduates as an essential tool in mom's arsenal. The website provided her objective tips/tricks, in-depth content and interactivity to connect with and involve moms.

The Agency also created two new mailers for moms of toddlers ages 14–15 and 16–19 months. Each mailer included proprietary content that provided nutritional information to help moms with practical and healthy feeding solutions appropriate for the rambunctious world of toddlerhood. The articles were short and easy to read since we knew these moms don't have a lot of time. The creative vision for these mailers was that they should be “the instruction booklet that didn't come with your kids.”

Communications Touch Points

Reach: $5–10 million

Total Media Expenditure: National

RESULTS

The Wobbly World campaign met or exceeded all of the quantitative goals previously outlined.

We increased cross-segment usage from a pre-campaign level of 53% to achieve our goal of 54%.

The campaign increased penetration of dinners for 9–24 months households by +4pts, or 21%, and snacks did even better. Penetration for those products increased +3pts or 27%.

Finally, we exceeded our goals on two key brand measures.

Gerber Brand Awareness

Anything Else Going on that might have Helped Drive Results?

Retail Marketing embraced the idea as well, redesigning the packaging to increase the prominence of the Graduates branding. The design decreased the Gerber Baby iconography and diminished product sub-brands to provide greater clarity and prominence of Graduates. FSIs (with coupons) were developed to provide purchase incentives for moms to try Graduates. Once in-store “Steady nutrition for a wobbly world” floor graphics and shelf danglers were used to call out the key products featured in the advertising.

The Wobbly World results were independent of a Heavy Up TV spend test, which indicated an additional 2.2% lift can be garnered across the entire portfolio and a 13.7% lift can be achieved on featured products (Minis, Tub Meals, Lil' Entrees) (Source: Client data 2006).

Orbit Gum – No Matter What

Category: Sustained Success

Brand: Orbit Gum

Client: Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company

Primary Agency: Energy BBDO

Media Agency: MindShare

STRATEGIC CHALLENGE

In 2002, despite having overall leadership of the gum category and a stable of great brands, the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company could not claim to have a true power brand; a brand that dominates the category both in terms of sales and relationship with the consumer. Our mission was to create a brand that would set a new standard, as the most meaningful and involving brand in the category.

With brands like the Juicy Fruit and Extra, Wrigley was well seeded in the hearts and minds of the public they hadn't had big innovation in a long time. Orbit, however, was designed in look, feel and taste) to be that breakthrough product that could change the category. To accomplish this, we needed to carve out a new meaningful proposition and fresh, involving communication to convince teenagers and young adults that this gum was unlike anything introduced over the last 100 years.

Orbit needed to be a gum teens and young adults claimed as their own vs. the one their mom always chewed.

From a business standpoint, Wrigley would win as a company if Orbit could assume a leadership position in the category. Currently the leading competitor held the largest share and enjoyed the highest unaided brand awareness in the category due to its long-running campaign. Thus, we needed to makes sure our message was relevant to a large segment of our key competitor's base consumer and over time we needed to secure these chewers while continuously wooing new teens and young adults.

OBJECTIVES

Orbit's communication needed to trump the rest of the gum category in every way. The holistic communication effort we created had to be more break-through, more meaningful to consumers and ultimately more involving than anything in the marketplace. Lastly, Orbit had to grow at the expense of Wrigley's competition.

To be the power brand in the category, we wanted to lead in the following areas, as these measures were and continue to be the key performance metrics we use to gauge success.

Business Metrics

• Most dramatic, sustained sales and share growth

Communication Metrics

• Achieve the most breakthrough communication via highest ad awareness in the category

Brand Equity Metrics

• Establish the brand in popular culture

• Obtain ownership of “clean mouth” benefit

• Generate highest association with “cool” and “contemporary”

THE BIG IDEA

“Orbit cleans up even the dirtiest of mouths”

Consumer Insight

A key consumer insight was the genesis for the campaign. The prime prospect, 18–34 year old trend-surfers didn't just want fresh breath, they wanted a clean mouth to help them feel put together, confident and at their best at any time. Key to this is they saw a difference between covering up bad breath and the feeling of having a truly clean mouth. As one person said “you can brush your teeth without taking a shower and still feel ok but the opposite is not true.” We saw “clean” as a compelling yet wholly unique benefit that gave us an advantage since our competition was relying on more typical positioning areas such as breath-freshening, dental and long-lasting.

Brand Defining Idea and Campaign

Based on this insight we created a meaningful Brand Defining Idea (i.e. the core of the brand from which the campaign would be built) of a “Clean Mouth Guarantee.” Thus, we knew that whatever we did it had to reassure consumers that no matter what happened, their mouths would be clean. From there, our campaign was born.

Our Big Idea was to demonstrate this guarantee by showing that even the dirtiest mouths can be cleaned up with Orbit. This approach hit hard on the product benefit but was still broad enough to do the heavy lifting of a product announcement, specifically tout the innovation, showcase the packaging, seed the name and do it all in an engaging manner. Further, it had legs to allow for ongoing product innovation news (the key driver of sales in the gum category). Finally, it simply felt different from the competition and delivered the message in a non-dental, friendly way. This strategy continues to be the foundation in which all Orbit communications emanate.

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We brought the idea to life by first exaggerating the problem of a dirty mouth and then finding new and clever ways to clean it up.

The Approach

Prior to the Orbit launch, gum advertising was generally focused on help for the “hookup” or hard-core dental benefits. In general, the communications were void of any memorable personality, style or humor. We saw an opportunity to market Orbit in a quirky, witty manner that would generate powerful consumer involvement and deliver our communications in a unique and stylized feel.

The World of Orbit

Our first step was creating a hyperbolic world, where no matter how dirty people might be or get, Orbit still delivers on its guarantee of a clean mouth. To ensure we stood out, we made the world feel stylish and retro-forward. Additionally we used a sparkling icon named Vanessa, a pseudo scientist/anthropologist who, as the ironic observer of these crazy situations, delivers the pay-off “Dirty Mouth? Clean it up with Orbit – For a Clean Feeling Mouth, No Matter What” while showcasing the product and relevant news. With Vanessa we had an enjoyable thread that allowed us to solve new and different “dirty” situations while providing a consistent voice to the campaign.

Phase I – Literal dirt

The initial campaign featured a lab where test subjects were continually bathed in dirt but found chewing Orbit kept their mouths delightfully clean. From here, the brand continued to use hyperbolic literal dirt scenarios to communicate our message, from equestrians who fall in the mud to man-eating plants that attack individuals.

Phase II – Figurative dirt

Prompted by consumer learning that the idea of “dirty” extended to dirty language, we expanded the definition of a dirty mouth from the literal to the figurative and began cleaning up stereotypical “dirty mouths”. For example, in “Affair” an illicit romance is uncovered and dirty words are “cleaned-up” using silly, non-sensical language.

Phase III – Cleaning up pop-culture

Given our trend-surfer target is highly tapped into whatever is happening in the here and now, in 2006, we embarked on a crusade to “clean up pop-culture.” It was opportunistic way to broaden our mass appeal and there was (and is) no shortage of material. We focused on celebrities known for being dirty – starting with Snoop Dog (in our communications, his dirty mouth was sending him to hell, luckily Orbit is there to save him) and moving on to Steve-0 and Chris Pontius of “Jackass” and “Wildboys” fame (their dirtiest stunts are no match for Orbit). In a highly integrated effort, we demonstrated that even the dirtiest of mouths could be cleaned up with Orbit.

Communications Involvement Strategy

While the Orbit campaign has always utilized layered communications, television has been the key delivery vehicle because it is the target's dominant medium, it allows us to communicate our stylish point of difference and it provides a highly visible forum for our “dirty mouth” demonstrations. However, as we've moved to creating true communication platforms (e.g., clean-up pop culture) digital has become a key element in delivering that experience. Additionally, print has also had a significant role in communicating flavor introductions/messaging while expanding our reach. In 2006, we extended the Snoop Dog TV Spot and the idea that Orbit cleans up the dirtiest mouths online with a microsite that allowed consumers to interact with the brand and share an Orbit “clean it up” message from Snoop with others.

As we continued our quest to clean up pop culture in 2007, we charted new territory by tapping into the ultimate icon of pop culture with teens and young adults-MTV. Due to the hip imagery of the brand and strong connection teens and young adults have with Orbit, MTV allowed Orbit to infiltrate one of their most coveted properties, the MTV Movie Awards. MTV and Orbit created an entirely new award category of the “Dirtiest Mouth Moment from a Movie.” Within the show, Vanessa (Orbit's brand icon) presented the award and Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes, “Jay” and “Silent Bob” of Clerks fame, took the honors. Consumers helped decide the winner by voting on a microsite at www.orbit.mtv.com.

Communications Touch Points

Additional Marketing Components:

Increased distribution due to sales has been an on-going success factor for Wrigley.

Reach: National

Total Media Expenditure:

Initial Year $10–20MM

Year # 2 $10–20MM

Year # 3 10–20MM

Year # 5 $10–20MM

Current Year $20–40MM

RESULTS

Business Metrics

Year on year sales have been the fasted growing and most sustained within the category, with the brand growing 400% since launch and overtaking the leading competitor's share by 2 to 1.

Orbit Share vs. Leading Competitor

Communication Metrics

• Orbit has built the highest level of unaided advertising awareness in the category, with an average of about 22% in 2007 (Brand Monitor Tracking, 2007 Results).

• The brand has excellent traction with its core target and has achieved the highest level of effective awareness to-date of any gum campaign. 94% of adult chewers 18–34 who recognized the advertising correctly identified it as Orbit advertising (Communicus Campaign Tracking, 2007 Results).

Brand Equity Metrics

• Orbit owns the “just brushed clean feeling” benefit, with the highest association in the category at 33% among 12–24 year olds (2006 Brand Fitness Study).

• Orbit has the highest association in the category with “cool to be seen with” among 12–24 year olds, at 35%, almost triple the association as our key competition (2006 Brand Fitness Study).

• The creative has seeped into popular culture with the TV spot “The Affair” generating over 2 million hits on You Tube, while multiple consumer generated versions have also been uploaded.

Anything Else Going on that might have Helped Drive Results?

Through the five years, the brand had to overcome numerous category threats, including copycat flavor and packaging innovation as well as copycat brands, most notably Stride. None of it had much effect as Orbit sales have continued to increase with little loss of base, while new innovation/flavors have continually brought new consumers to the franchise.

Jennie-O Turkey Store – Look At Turkey Now

Category: Packaged Food

Client: Jennie-O Turkey Store

Primary Agency: BBDO Minneapolis

Media Agency: PHD

STRATEGIC CHALLENGE

Persuade people to alter their ritual in preparing a traditional Thanksgiving meal

Most people don't find turkey very compelling. Jennie-O does, and their innovative product portfolio has introduced new ways to prepare and enjoy turkey. One example is Jennie-O's Oven Ready fresh-frozen turkey. Oven Ready allows you to make a perfect whole turkey without thawing, cleaning or prepping. It comes sealed in a fool-proof cooking bag which goes straight from the freezer to the oven.

Thanksgiving, “the Super Bowl of Turkey,” is owned by BUTTERBALL. The BUTTERBALL brand enjoys near-universal awareness of 96% (Source: GFK Research 2006 brand awareness tracking study) and U.S. sales of $600 million (Source: 2006 Smithfield Foods Investor Information). The purchase and preparation of the iconic BUTTERBALL traditional turkey has been a Thanksgiving ritual for over 50 years.

Jennie-O's desire to introduce Oven Ready's game-changing proposal around the “star” of the Thanksgiving meal posed a considerable strategic challenge.

OBJECTIVES

Since Oven Ready's 2004 introduction, Jennie-O had seen modest growth in awareness and product interest. The feeling at Headquarters was that Oven Ready was not living up to its market potential. Thanksgiving '06 was earmarked as a “make or break” season, however the Oven Ready media plan budget had to remain under $3.5MM consistent with previous years-$3.3MM in '05 and $3.1MM in '04 (Source: Jennie-O Historical OR Market Plan Overview).

A. Quantifiable business goal:	Achieve double digit growth in Oven Ready shipped units over 2005 benchmark (Source: Jennie-O 2006 OR Market Plan).
B. Behavioral goal:	Increase Oven Ready product awareness via “branded experiences” to stimulate word of mouth product buzz in both consumer and trade (Source: Jennie-O 2006 OR Market Plan).
C. Perceptual/Attitudinal goal:	Increase Unaided Product/Brand Connection over 2005 benchmark of 43% (Source: Hall & Partners Research Pre-Post OR Tracking study).

THE BIG IDEA

“Our idea was to rekindle memories of the mess that comes with preparing a traditional turkey while communicating Oven Ready's hassle-free, perfect turkey promise.”

Jennie-O's previous campaigns focused on Oven Ready's “fool proof” convenience. 2006 qualitative and quantitative consumer research (Source: Hall & Partners Research Pre-Post OR tracking study) indicated Oven Ready's greatest appeal was more specific than the broad “fool proof” message. What really intrigued people was Oven Ready's promise of a great tasting turkey without the “ick-factor” that comes from handling, thawing and cleaning a traditional Thanksgiving turkey.

We also began to understand the limits of our product offering. We're not for everyone. Oven Ready isn't the turkey for “first-timers” or “center-piece artisans” striving to impress on the big day, but rather for all those who can relate to the pain-in-the-neck mess that comes with thawing, cleaning and prepping a traditional bird.

As we propped deeper into the experiences of Thanksgiving veterans, we discovered the familiar, traditional holiday imagery paled to their vivid, often hilarious, personal turkey preparation “horror stories” (Source: agency qualitative OR research groups 2006).

If we could somehow harness the power of these rich, albeit negative, experiences to the promise of Oven Ready, we believed we could begin to achieve Oven Ready's market potential.

BRINGING THE IDEA TO LIFE

Our communication strategy was to rekindle memories of the messy hassles surrounding the traditional Thanksgiving turkey while portraying Oven Ready's perfect turkey promise.

We identified an attitudinally-defined target, “Promise Seekers,” who are Thanksgiving – experienced meal-preparer, willing to pay more and break tradition for Oven Ready's promise of a great tasting turkey without the mess (Source: Hall & Partners A&U 2006 Study).

To maximize the effectiveness of our $3.3MM media budget, we concentrated the vast majority of our plan within the two-weeks prior to Thanksgiving 2006. Our media strategy was to reach “Promise Seekers” via multiple touch points as close as possible to their purchase decision. A mix of focused national and local market support delivered the plan.

The integrated 2006 “Look at Turkey Now” campaign utilized product placement, interactive, retail experience, word of mouth, trade direct, trade sales promotion and advertising (TV, online, print). Following are brief descriptions of our content within the channels we utilized:

Advertising: Our print, television and online ads communicated Oven Ready's no-mess benefit via an “aprons-away” visual device symbolizing our no apron-required experience.

Interactive: There is a surge of online communication around Thanksgiving as families set plans for the Holiday. To get Oven Ready into conversation, we took advantage of people's tendency to pass along silly Thanksgiving related humor and created two viral videos based on real-life traditional turkey “nightmare stories.” These were posted on YouTube and Jennie O's website. Additionally, we created and placed a branded “Turkey Baster Toss” online game to communicate our no-basting benefit.

PR: While not part of a formal PR plan, we passed along our viral videos to some national TV networks hoping they'd take notice and give us a little bonus coverage.

Product Placement: Some skepticism existed to Oven Ready's “perfect turkey” promise because of its untraditional “turkey in a bag” packaging. A partnership with NBC's “The Biggest Loser” series provided an on-air demonstration of Oven Ready's convenience and out-of-the-oven appeal in a national “reality TV” format.

Retail Experience: Boosted by our trade sell-in program – “Ask me why I'm perfect,” we were able to surround our Oven Ready grocery store displays with floor graphics and other in-store tactics which conveyed the easy steps to a perfect turkey.

Word of Mouth: We enlisted a word of mouth specialist agency partner, to sign on 3,200 targeted women in 5 DMA's to sample the product and generate discussions about Oven Ready's ease of preparation and overall taste.

Direct: Our trade sell-in program included a direct mailer targeting grocery stores' meat managers to support Jennie O's broker representatives prior to in-person sales meetings.

Communications Touch Points

Additional Marketing Components: A supplemental PR program created outside of our “Look at Turkey Now” campaign featured the daughter of Jennie O's founder (the Jennie namesake) talking about the benefits of Oven Ready. The effort resulted in 879 local print and radio placements (Source: Jennie-O 2007 OR Market Review).

Reach: National

Total Media Expenditure: $2–5 million

RESULTS

A. Quantifiable business goal:	Achieve double digit growth in Oven Ready shipped units over 2005 benchmark (Source: Jennie-O 2006 OR Market Plan).
Results:	Units shipped in 2006 increased 92% (Source: Jennie-O 2007 OR Marketing Review).
B. Behavioral goal:	Increase Oven Ready product awareness via “branded experiences” to stimulate word of mouth product buzz in both consumer and trade (Source: Jennie-O 2006 OR Market Plan).
Results:	Achieved 200,069 tracked conversations via word of mouth program – 32% over estimate (Source: agency post program tracking report 2007) Viral videos were picked up and featured on ABC's Good Morning America and CNN's American Morning, Showbiz Tonight, Situation Room and Prime News (cumulative audience of 5.9 MM viewers) (Source: agency media tracking tracking report 2007)
C. Perceptual/Attitudinal goal:	Increase Unaided Product/Brand Connection over 2005 benchmark of 43% (Source: Hall & Partners Research Pre-Post OR Tracking study).
Results:	Achieved 70% Unaided Product/Brand Connection (Source: Hall & Partners Research Pre-Port OR tracking study 2007)

Anything Else Going on that might have Helped Drive Results?

2006 was Oven Ready's third year in the marketplace. While our success was significantly greater in 2006 than in previous years, we do believe we benefited from some 2005 carry-over marketplace and awareness momentum. One nice awareness push came from an on-air, unpaid endorsement by Ellen DeGeneres on her talk-show in which she raved about the product prior to Thanksgiving 2005.

Mengniu Milk

Shortly after the announcement that scores of China’s milk samples were tainted with the industrial—and potentially deadly—chemical melamine, this comforting headline appeared in a press release: “Independent Inspection from CAIQ has been Conducting for a Month and all Mengniu’s Products are Safe and Qualified. The Big Brand Milk is Reliable to Trust.” The company was China Mengniu Dairy Group Co. Ltd., former shining star in the mainland’s private dairy industry and the recipient of several local and international awards and industry accolades. Overnight, it was stripped of its “national brand” status by the Chinese government.

This is a scandal that still reverberates throughout the world for claiming the lives of six Chinese infants and making 300,000 others ill with kidney-stone-related diseases. Even as recently as mid-February 2009, a quick Google search brings up articles fervently pursuing the issue of melamine and broader quality-control issues in China’s milk industry. It was clearly the kind of public relations nightmare a company could never shake. But nearly six months on, shake it did. Mengniu, which had its shares trading suspended on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Sept. 17, 2008, is now trading again at sustainable levels. Though nothing like pre-melamine highs of US$ 3.00–3.50, it is now hovering around the US$ 1.00–1.20 mark, after dropping drastically to lows of US$ 0.20–0.50 (Reuters, March 2009). “Mengniu’s sales are currently reported to be at roughly 70 percent of pre-melamine volumes, and come summer this year, they are expected to make a full recovery,” says Philippe Chan, Asia Manager for beverage industry consultants Canadean. Unfair though it may seem to turn this into a “branding” or “public image” exercise for Chinese dairy companies, for similar fledgling export-driven industries China-wide, this is essentially what the crisis represents. Quality-control issues are not new for Chinese companies, but having to deal with them on an international stage is. Mengniu has emerged healthy on the other side of this crisis, both from a quality standpoint as well as an image perspective. How did they do it, and are there lessons for other aspiring export-driven mainland companies in the Chinese F&B sector to learn? Background check A fairly new kid on the block, Mengniu Dairy Company was established in 1999 by a former employee of the Yili Group, now Mengniu’s largest competitor. Owner and founder Niu Gensheng took Mengniu to heights that includes total registered assets of RMB 8 billion (a little over US$ 1 billion) with 30,000 employees and a reported production capacity of dairy products that reaches 5 million tons per year. Its export markets are listed as America, Canada, Mongolia Republic, Hong Kong and Macau as well as some Southeast Asian countries. Mengniu was ranked No. 3 among dairy enterprises in Asia in the Top 500 Brands poll of 2006 and was named “The Most Creative Enterprise” of China in March of the same year. Along with brand recognition, China Mengniu Dairy’s stock has appeared on a Morgan Stanley list of Global Top 50 Blue Chip Stocks until 2012. Of Mengniu’s branding efforts, Chan says, “Mengniu wants to be a global player, and is interested in projecting a more international image.” They have an effectively bilingual website up and running, a move that has proven tricky for other similar-sized companies in China, that includes prudent information for consumers, trade customers and other interested users. Dealing with the crisis There were few, if any, options for Mengniu and other Chinese dairy companies like Yili Group and Sanlu to cushion the impact of the melamine scandal. When kids die and others fall ill in the hundreds of thousands due to sheer greed and laziness, all one can do is humbly surrender, apologize profusely and ensure the mistake will never be repeated. This, Mengniu did promptly and sincerely. On Sept. 28, 2008, the news page on the Mengniu website featured a release titled: “Solemn Guarantees From Mengniu Group,” and it proceeded to “genuinely apologize for the physically and psychologically affected consumers.” It guaranteed: - a recall of all tainted baby formula - temporary suspension of production to facilitate inspection and improvement - a doubling of the government-set compensation amount to affected consumers - an opening up of its facilities to state and local inspection authorities - a continued effort to protect dairy farmers’ interests by purchasing raw milk that passes quality tests A dedicated crisis hotline was also set up in the immediate aftermath of the scandal to enable affected consumers to reach and receive assistance as soon as possible. There also exists a general information line that customers can contact with any queries regarding Mengniu’s products. This openness is very unusual in a mainland company, but also refreshing. Normally you are lucky to find any contact information on an official website, and if it works, you may as well head out and buy a lottery ticket! This “open policy” has the twin benefits of building trust with consumers who do use the service and building goodwill among those who do not. Company spokeswoman and VP Zhao Yuanhua has also appeared frequently in the media, urging consumers to restore their confidence in Mengniu and also being open about the measures being taken to combat the crisis. In a November 2008 press release, she is quoted as saying, “we are going to guarantee the safety of raw milk…and build Mengniu (into a) time-honored brand.” Late last year, Mengniu organized a site visit for consumers, journalists and health officials to its key Beijing facility, walking them through the improved proceedings and explaining in great detail how processes have changed since the scandal. Measures like this have certainly helped improve the Mengniu brand, at least in the eyes of the domestic market. Opportunities in the aftermath One Mengniu competitor untainted by the melamine crisis was the American Feihe Dairy Company. While Mengniu and its tainted peers scrambled to pick up the pieces post-crisis, Feihe has been enjoying increased sales and several “any publicity is good publicity” opportunities. After all, one’s PR nightmare is usually another’s dream come true. An official spokesperson for the company said, “There has been a flight towards quality after the melamine crisis and many consumers have shifted towards Feihe’s long-standing, premium quality products. We will continue to increase advertising spending to capitalize on Feihe’s increased brand opportunities.” Mengniu, however, was not without its own opportunities in the aftermath. As per its corporate vision, “…building a world famous brand is a steadfast pursuance for Mengniu Dairy Group” and that it will continue to do, not just by upholding safety and quality standards but certainly also by milking a PR opportunity or two when it presents itself. As it readily admits in a recent press release, “During the crisis, people also see a brand new image of the Chinese dairy industry that has a stronger sense of responsibility and credit standing of trust.”

-False Advertising- ill-planned promotions KFC, Popeyes and Quizno’s::: lack of preparation

Last week, Oprah announced Kentucky Fried Chicken’s 2-piece grilled chicken promotion, causing a mad rush to unprepared KFC restaurants, and ultimately leaving 6 million customers waiting in the lurch when the offer was rescinded. Angry customers not only fumed in-person, but also turned to social media to air their grievances, causing buzz about the fried chicken chain to skyrocket.

Last February, Quizno’s, a sub sandwich chain, made a similar mistake by including a caveat in their Million Subs promotion that stated coupons would only be accepted at participating locations. Quizno’s visitors reported being turned away by disgruntled franchise owners who refused to honor the promotion, causing blog buzz about the sub chain to increase over 400 percent compared to the month before the promotion.

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KFC CEO Apologizes for Last Week's Screw Up, Offers Raincheck

Roger Eaton is the CEO of KFC aka Kentucky Fried Chicken aka Kentucky Grilled Chicken aka the fast food place that made the same mistake as Popeyes.  

Bond & Bond – Cut to the chase

Category: Retail/Etail

Agency: DraftFCB

Advertiser: Bond & Bond

Campaign: Cut to the Chase

SUMMARY

Bond & Bond sales had been declining at an average of 2.4% pa for two years. Yet the appliance retail category had been growing at 7.2%.

DraftFCB set out to reverse Bond & Bond's fortunes using advertising only. There would be no increase in advertising spend and no change to product and pricing strategy.

The agency created a straight-talking campaign that told informed shoppers in the target audience “you want it, we've got it, let's talk'.

This campaign won DraftFCB a Gold EFFIE for retail/etail.

MARKETING CHALLENGE

Bond & Bond was in a difficult situation with sales declining, relentless advertising from competitors and New Zealand facing a recession.

All brand health measures were falling, including top-of-mind awareness, store visits and sales conversion.

Any new strategy for Bond & Bond could not be to the detriment of larger sister brand, Noel Leeming. The challenge was to establish a strong new position as part of a brand portfolio strategy.

Pricing and the in-store experience would not be changed so the advertising had to work hard.

CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES

Rather than traditional soft measures such as brand health this campaign had to halt the decline in sales of 2.4% pa and return Bond & Bond to growth within six months.

TARGET AUDIENCE

The campaign break-through came with identifying a new target: Bond & Bond would target 'Mission Accomplished Shoppers'.

Mission Accomplished Shoppers are more likely to be young males or young couples. They like to research the options before entering a store and talking to a salesperson.

When they go in they want to be informed and confident. They'll know exactly what they want, or at least have narrowed it down.

They often don't accept the displayed price. They treat the in-store environment like a sporting arena. Their aim is to get the best deal possible, and the sales person is their opponent.

CREATIVE STRATEGY

The Bond & Bond brand would be all about 'cutting to the chase'. The facts were delivered in a straight-talking style – the features, the price, the deal – without the over-hyped sales pitch.

This approach was summed up by a new brand-line; 'You want it, We've got it, Let's Talk.' To get noticed a humorous and non-PC approach was used to connect with the target audience.

OTHER COMMUNICATION PROGRAMMES

• None

MEDIA STRATEGY

• TV for attitude and urgency Print to promote 'killer deals' Mailers for features and benefits

MEDIA

• Television, Newspaper, Catalogue, Point of Purchase, Online

TOTAL MEDIA EXPENDITURE

• Over $3 million

RESULTS

Target: Halt the decline in sales of 2.4% pa and return Bond & Bond to growth within 6 months.

The impact of the new campaign on sales was immediate and sustained.

This was made even more exceptional given that the category began to run out of steam due to the economic downturn. (-0.6% final quarter '07, year on year)

With the category in decline, and Bond & Bond sales in growth, the trend had truly been reversed.

Bond & Bond Sales Performance vs Category

And despite improvements to Brand Health not being an objective:

Declining brand health measures were being reversed within three months of taking the new communications strategy to market.

Analysis supplied by Colmar Brunton stated:

The brand communication awareness trend had been reversed with most of the positive shift being driven by TV and mailers. Of those who recalled B+B advertising 29% felt more positive towards the brand and 36% claimed they would be more likely to shop there.

And the new creative was engaging the new target market in particular.

On average 60% of respondents recognised seeing the new campaign. This was greater amongst our young life-stage target audience groups i.e. 67% and 73% recognition amongst 18–44 and 18–34 year olds respectively.