A weekly digest of the most important stories and ideas in advertising and media, from our colleagues at Marketing
Other Items of note from Marketing:
McCain Foods has redesigned its frozen food packaging and is now rolling out its first TV ad to go with that new identity. The makeover is aimed at improving consumers’ perception of frozen foods, which has taken a beating in recent years:
McCain is facing a bigger battle than consumers’ willingness to accept a new logo. Consumer perception of the freshness and healthfulness of frozen food has waned in recent years with the rising preference towards fresh, locally grown fare. “Frozen food is still suffering from an image problem at the moment,” concludes Euromonitor International, which reported in February that Canadian processed frozen foods sales have been flat and are projected to actually drop as the economy improves—from $5.2 billion in 2013 to $5 billion by 2018.
According to its study, “As higher income consumers feel more confident about the economy, many will choose to dine out or buy fresh food to cook at home. To compete against restaurants, manufacturers are introducing restaurant-inspired foods, new flavours and foods with a healthier, nutritional profile.”
McCain has focused on staying ahead of the curve by positioning itself as a convenience food that has become increasingly natural with its ingredients and also transparent with its packaging. In 2009, McCain removed unfamiliar and unpronounceable ingredients from its products as part of the company’s “It’s all good” commitment, which cost more than $10 million in research and development.
Read the article and watch the new ad: McCain’s new ad pushes versatility of fries—and fun »
Starbucks Canada has a viral video hit with a spot featuring two popular drag queens jockeying for position in line for coffee. Produced in association with cable channel OutTV, the spot allowed Starbucks to tap both the large social media following of its stars as well as targeted access to the LGBT customers it was looking to reach:
For advertisers, working with drag performers can help a brand show LGBT consumers it wants to be part of their community, OutTV COO Danks said.
“When you do something with drag, you’re making a really strong statement,” said Danks. “You’re pretty clear about what you’re saying and who you’re speaking to when you use drag performers.”
Starbucks has already seen dozens of positive comments praising its work with Del Rio and Delano. Danks said when paired with the coffee brand’s ongoing diversity measures, the ad will help create long term loyalty.
“The community is really sensitive to brands that communicate to it directly and state: ‘You’re important to us,’ ” Danks said. “That resonates and goes a long, long way in this community.”
Watch the ad—which got more than 200,000 views on its first day: Drag Queens help give Starbucks Canada video a jolt »
Finally, LuluLemon got some serious pushback from consumers on its partnership with the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education last week. “[The Dalai Lama] believes that luxuries are not necessities,” wrote one angry correspondent. “You believe in $100 yoga pants.”
