Viva La Revolución

Sabra Appoints New Advertising Agency

Sabra Dipping Company Today Announces the Appointment of StrawberryFrog as New Agency Of Record

Astoria, NY (PRWEB) November 17, 2008 -- Sabra, www.sabra.com, the leading manufacturer of refrigerated Mediterranean dips and spreads, has announced that StrawberryFrog will be the company's new advertising agency of record.

"We're happy to appoint StrawberryFrog as our new advertising and communications agency. We selected StrawberryFrog as our partner for their exceptional insight, creative excellence and proven track record of delivering effective and innovative advertising," said Rodrigo Troni, Sabra's Chief Marketing Officer.

We're happy to appoint StrawberryFrog as our new advertising and communications agency. We selected StrawberryFrog as our partner for their exceptional insight, creative excellence and proven track record of delivering effective and innovative advertising

StrawberryFrog joins us at a very exciting time for the company, when we are making important product and marketing investments in a mass movement for new and tastier food experiences.

Sabra is a very special brand with tremendous momentum, I don't think I've come across anything like this in my career before. Our mandate is to work in close cooperation with Sabra's management to turn this momentum into a Cultural Movement that invites consumers to be part of something bigger and more meaningful.
We are thrilled to begin a relationship with Sabra in this new chapter of the brand's growth.

This relationship between Sabra and StrawberryFrog is especially rewarding because Sabra has taught us about how America's food desires are radically evolving. Sabra's mass appeal is a phenomenon that is redefining the culture of food in the United States at a time of change.

Troni continues, "StrawberryFrog joins us at a very exciting time for the company, when we are making important product and marketing investments in a mass movement for new and tastier food experiences."

Chip Walker, StrawberryFrog's Head of Strategy said, "Sabra is a very special brand with tremendous momentum, I don't think I've come across anything like this in my career before. Our mandate is to work in close cooperation with Sabra's management to turn this momentum into a Cultural Movement that invites consumers to be part of something bigger and more meaningful."


About Sabra Dipping Company, LLC
Sabra Dipping Company, LLC. of Astoria, New York, makes a wide and outstandingly delicious range of refrigerated Mediterranean dips and spreads. Using fresh herbs and spices, authentic Mediterranean recipes and healthy vegetables, the dips and spreads are richer, smoother and tastier. All of the products are beautifully presented, certified kosher and vegetarian and available across the nation. With over +50% growth in the past 52 weeks, Sabra is leading its category according to recent IRI reports. Sabra's rapid growth and category leadership sparked interest from food industry leaders PepsiCo and the Strauss Group, which own equal shares of the company in a joint venture created earlier this year. Visit www.sabra.com.

FROG AND FRITO-LAY FEATURED IN NY TIMES

From New York Times TV Decoder: TV is 'Live-ing' It Up

by Stuart Elliot

The advertising economy may be gloomy and television networks may be reporting declines in demand for commercial time. But the interest among marketers in sponsoring so-called big event TV, the live shows that still draw large audiences, seems, well, alive.

The Frito-Lay division of PepsiCo has become the first marketer to disclose that it will buy commercial time during the ABC broadcast of the Academy Awards on Feb. 22. A new line of Frito-Lay snack nuts called True North is asking consumers to enter a contest to create a commercial to be shown during the Oscar-cast.

“The most extraordinary story on the Oscars could be yours,” proclaims the headline of an ad in the Nov. 10 issue of Newsweek. The ad starts this way: “Are you doing something amazing? Something with the power to inspire others? Then we might want to tell your story in a 60-second commercial during the Academy Awards.”

The ad asks consumers to visit the True North Snacks Web site for more information about the contest.

Frito-Lay would not be the first advertiser to sponsor a contest for consumers to create a commercial for the Academy Awards. Unilever did that during the show that was broadcast last Feb. 24, for a product called Dove Supreme Cream Oil Body Wash.

ABC charged advertisers an estimated $1.6 million for each 30 seconds of ad time during the most recent Oscars. The network has not disclosed a price tag for the spots during the next show, which will be the 81st annual Academy Awards presentation.

The Oscars typically draws an audience that is chockablock with women and affluent, more educated viewers. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is changing its rules for 2009 to allow movie studios to run certain types of commercials for coming releases during the show next February.

The largest TV audience of the year is almost always drawn by the Super Bowl. Super Bowl XLII, broadcast on Feb. 3, garnered a record audience of about 97.5 million viewers.

For Super Bowl XLIII, to be played next Feb. 1, NBC — whose turn it is to broadcast the game — is charging a record price, estimated at an average of $3 million for each 30 seconds of commercial time.

Among the advertisers that have said they are buying spots in the next Super Bowl are Anheuser-Busch and Frito-Lay. The latter plans to run the winning spot in a contest that asks consumers to create a Super Bowl commercial for its Doritos brand.

Do we sense a pattern here in Frito-Lay ad initiatives for the first quarter of 2009? Actually, this will be the third Super Bowl in a row that Frito-Lay has sought consumer-generated content for its Super Bowl ad time.

Cars.com, which ran two 30-second spots during Super Bowl XLII, said on Friday that it would run one spot, lasting 60 seconds, in the second quarter of Super Bowl XLIII. The company said the spot would mark the beginning of its marketing campaign for 2009.

StrawberryFrog Unveils New Campaign for Frito-Lay's True North Brand

True North nut snacks is searching to find a story about your life's passion that will be filmed and broadcast during next year’s Academy Awards.

 

The TrueNorth brand has struck a partnership with Oscar-winning actress Helen Hunt, who will direct the 60-second spot. Consumers are being invited to submit essays on www.truenorthsnacks.com now through Dec. 31 for a chance to have the story of their most compelling passion told in the spot to air during the 81st Annual Academy Awards broadcast on Feb. 22, 2009.

 

This is the first time a major consumer brand is reaching out to Baby Boomers in a massive social media campaign using the internet.

 

TrueNorth will be the exclusive snack category advertiser during the annual film awards show. The spot will be one of several that TrueNorth will run during the pre-show and the awards show itself.

 

“We want to find people who have found their “True North” and put a spotlight on their powerful stories,” said Regan Ebert, vice president and GM, warehouse direct business for Frito-Lay North America, in a release.

 

The personal passion spot will be the starter for a multimedia campaign on national TV, in print and online that will include three inspirational stories the brand has already discovered. The campaign will include profiles of Gary Greff, whose sculptures adorn his hometown of Regent, ND, Majora Carter, an ecology activist in the Bronx, NY, and Teddy Gross, who is empowering children with the power of a penny.

 

StrawberryFrog is the creative agency for Frito Lay True North, working in close partnership OMD media and Ketchum PR.

 

Link to the story: http://promomagazine.com/contests/news/fritolay-seeks-stories-1119/

STRAWBERRYFROG BRAZIL SECURES HENKEL

Some very good news out of our Brazilian agency today. StrawberryFrog Brazil has secured part of the Henkel account. The agency will be responsible for the Consumer Product unit, for brands Pritt and Loctite Superbonder. StrawberryFrog Brazil won the pitch launched by Henkel – a global leader in adhesives, seals and surface treatments – for its Consumer Product unit, which includes the brands Pritt and Loctite Superbonder.

"We do have strong and challenging targets specially in Latin America where Henkel Businessesare still on a positive trend and we do count with this new partnership to start a new era for our consumer brands."

--Joel Amorim, from Henkel Marketing & Trade AB/AC Latin America South.

The selection process started in July. Previously, the account had been served by DM9DDB. In addition to the accounts of the leading brands in gluesticks and superglues in Brazil, StrawberryFrog will also be in charge of managing the company’s media investment. The first media action signed by StrawberryFrog will start running next January, a little before the start of school year, for Pritt.

"We want to be a strong ally to Henkel’s team, led by Joel Amorim in Latin America, on its way through differentiation and innovation in its marketing efforts, broadening the meaning of the brand to consumers and the way they relate to each of the company’s products." 

--Alexandre Peralta, CEO and Chief Creative Officer from StrawberryFrog Brazil.

BEATING THE RECESSION

Think bigger, not smaller, for healthier brands.

By Scott Goodson and Chip Walker

You can stare down the recession. It's a time of opportunity, not fear. Everything is changing. Greed is out and communities are in. And in our community of marketers -- both advertisers and agencies alike -- we need to stand behind one idea: That marketing will get businesses going in this terrible mess. 

The new economy is the great equalizer. Under the weight of panicked emotion all brands feel vulnerable -- kind of out of place and out of sync with how people are feeling after the meltdown.

We need to change the conversation and look upon idea generation and strategic and creative excellence as the true productivity tools. We need to look at marketing as the true growth indicator. It's the viable option, the last investment to make before you shut off the lights and evacuate the building.

Who says you can't use your marketing to provide consumers with a greater sense of value? Or, go one step further: By realigning your marketing priorities you can maximize efficiencies and maximize a "wow" factor. So less can also be a lot more.

And though it may seem counterintuitive, the way to do this is not by thinking smaller. It's by thinking bigger.

The first thing marketers need in this environment is a harder-working idea, one that operates in culture rather than in a product category, and lets consumers rethink your competitive frame of reference, defining it more broadly.

For example, premium-priced food brands may suffer in this environment due to consumers trading down to cheaper store brands. But if you position these high-priced foods items as a way to make a basic night in as inspiring as a luxurious night out, they start to seem like a bargain. In this instance, a premium food brand becomes home entertainment, not just a packaged good.

Similarly, cosmetics and laundry detergents can become the self-enhancement aides we need as we put our best foot forward in a competitive job market. And in an environment where we're all working more, convenience purchases like casual dining can be sold as giving you back valuable time to spend with family. Marketing house paint? Rather than think about price or quality versus competition, market it as a smart alternative to remodeling.

The second thing marketers need in this environment is a harder-working communication plan. By that we mean a better approach to interacting with consumers throughout the brand experience.

Competitive USPs and product positionings lead to expensive, interruptive messaging, usually in environments that are cluttered with competitive messages. Once you have an idea that competes in culture, it's much easier (not to mention more cost-effective) to have your message show up in a place where it's actually welcomed by consumers and doesn't have to fight to be heard.

For example: If you want your premium-priced food brand to be part of an elegant evening in instead of an expensive evening out, tell consumers how to put on a party at point-of-sale -- during radio drive time on the way home from work.

In coming months, there will be growth for those brands that understand marketing from a cultural perspective, and who connect their brands to ideas on the rise. Consumers will be trading up and trading down, placing virtually all purchases into one of two categories: things they care about (and are thus willing to pay more for), and things they don't, which they treat as commodities. The key to growth and productivity? To go bigger, to be important in their world, versus different in the category.

The question for marketers is: Are you fearless enough in this recessionary environment to step out of your category and into culture, out of the comfort zone and into a truly game-changing idea?

Scott Goodson and Chip Walker are founder/CEO and head of strategy, respectively, at StrawberryFrog. Goodson can be reached at scott@strawberryfrog.com; Walker can be reached at chip@strawberryfrog.com.