Danone has joined the plant sterols movement with a new drinkable yogurt product featuring the ingredient, and an ad campaign that aims to educate Canadians about its cholesterol-lowering benefits.

Launching as part of the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s ‘Heart Month,’ the Danacol campaign started earlier this week on TV, online and in print. The TV spots will be running in two waves, with the first running through May and the second from August to November. Web banners will run from February until the end of the year. The company will also be running print ads and insertions across the country.

Danone is targeting men and women over 45 years old to raise awareness of the health benefits of the product, says Fleur Parnet, senior brand manager, Danone Canada.

‘The goal of the TV campaign is to leverage awareness of the brand while establishing Danacol as a credible ally for cholesterol reduction,’ she says. ‘With the web campaign, the goal is primarily to educate Canadians on plant sterols.’

The creative for the campaign was managed by the Montreal offices of Sid Lee for the online work and SVY&R for TV and print. The digital buy was handled by Media Contacts in Toronto and the traditional buy by MPG in Montreal.