This story appears in the February/March 2016 issue of strategy.
Bronze: Off to a Good Start & Best Insight
Situation Analysis:
Frozen vegetables was an undifferentiated category dominated by price sensitivity, discounting and private brands, declining at -3.5% a year. In 2014, Arctic Gardens decided to modify its packaging to present its products as “recipe ideas” rather than simply frozen vegetables.
Insight & Strategy:
Women are responsible for meals in 80% of households, a major challenge while balancing work, family and the organization of daily life. They felt that “eating well” had become complicated thanks to an ever-increasing selection of food and a lack of time to cook, a task made more difficult by children’s reticence to eat vegetables; a situation where it might be permissible for parents to lie for the good of their children.
Execution:
‘Give Them Some Vegetables’ launched in October 2014 with a spend of between $2 and $3 million across Canada (regionally upweighted in Quebec/Maritimes). Four 15-second spots in Quebec and the Maritimes featured children who were reluctant to eat their vegetables being convinced their Artic Gardens vegetable-laden meals were, in fact, something else more to their liking. Magazine and web initiatives ran nationally, showcasing recipe ideas at strategic moments when mothers were planning meals.
Results:
In a declining category, Arctic Gardens registered dollar sales increases over the campaign period in the focus markets of Quebec/Maritimes, ranging from +13% for spaghetti mix to +49% for soup mix. Brand surveys registered an improved opinion of Artic Gardens of +18% in Quebec and +14% across the Maritimes.
Cause & Effect:
The 2014-2015 campaign was deployed from October to April, the same period as campaigns for preceding years. There are no variables in the marketing campaign that differed significantly year-over-year. Results in Ontario and Western Canada were hindered by stock shortages caused by a major fire.
Credits:
Client: Arctic Gardens (Bonduelle)
VP Marketing: Christian Malenfant
Agency: Lg2
CD: Luc Du Sault
CW: Nicolas Boisvert
Strategic planning: Mireille Côté, Catherine Darius
Account exectuive: Ève Boucher
Agency producers: Johanne Pelland, Lina Piché
English adaptation: Andrew Morgan, Marcus Hildebrandt
