The anticipated launch of Mazola cooking spray and Becel non-aerosol spray in the Canadian marketplace threatened Pam’s leadership in the category. Previously, competition was from private label sprays or butter and oil. So Starcom Toronto and Leo Burnett came up with a print execution that brought home the benefits of Pam in a very absorbing way.

Goal

Mississauga, Ont.-based ConAgra Foods Canada wanted to defend against new competitors, and grow household penetration of Pam by convincing new users to try it and bringing former users back. Pam is known as the ‘no-stick’ spray, but with new competition offering the same feature, the Starcom-Burnett team had to differentiate it as a healthy, natural product.

Target

Busy moms.

Insights and strategy

Consumers are increasingly seeking healthier food choices. The team wanted to leverage the insight that people are ‘grossed out’ by excess oil on a plate, napkin or pan. The idea was to portray Pam as the trusted, healthier, less greasy alternative to oil or butter via a product demo that connected the consumer from the advertising right into relevant editorial.

The plan

The Leo Burnett creative team created an ad bleeding a grease spot through the page (for the first time in Canada) and into editorial sections in Transcontinental publications like the December 2006 and March 2007 issues of Canadian Living.

Results

Ad recall and purchase intent were double that of two competitive brands in the same issue. Over 90% of readers felt Pam was a healthier cooking option after seeing the ad.

Credits

Starcom: John Ware, strategy director; Jennifer Bell, strategy supervisor; Emily Strongitharm, strategy planner

ConAgra Foods: Jason Quehl, sr. brand manager

Leo Burnett: Kelly Zettel, CD; Chris Cousineau, AD; Michael Takasaki, copywriter