Company Will Invest Well Over $100 Million to Support New Ad Effort

CAMDEN, N.J., Sep 07, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Campbell Soup Company (NYSE:CPB) has launched its first-ever umbrella advertising campaign to support all of its U.S. soup brands. Touting “It’s Amazing What Soup Can Do,” the new campaign will support Campbell’s condensed soup, Campbell’s Chunky soup, Campbell’sHealthy Request soups, Campbell’sSelect Harvest soup, as well as soups sold in microwaveable bowls and cups under these brands.

Designed to reposition Campbell’s soups in the simple meals category and drive sales and category growth, the marketing effort will combine the budget of Campbell’s U.S. soup brands and deliver an integrated campaign with spending levels well above $100 million. Campbell developed the “It’s Amazing What Soup Can Do” campaign over an 18-month period. This marks the first time Campbell has used a unifying advertising theme to promote all of its major soup brands.

“We reviewed 60 years worth of advertising to better understand what had worked and why,” said Andrew Brennan, Campbell’s VP and General Manager, U.S. Soup. “Historically, our advertising worked best when it showcased Campbell’s soup as an indispensable food for any occasion. Soup is great for lunch, dinner or as a snack. It can be paired with a variety of foods or poured over meat, pasta or rice as a sauce, or used as an ingredient in a great tasting recipe. Our new campaign gets back to highlighting the versatility and variety of our soups and reminding people of all the amazing things soup can do.”

Campbell’s research and consumer insights indicated that in the “post-Warhol period” of the 1970s and 80s, the company’s advertising had become too focused on the iconic can and few top selling varieties, rather than celebrating the quality ingredients, variety and great taste of its soups.

The “It’s Amazing What Soup Can Do” advertising is designed to contemporize the Campbell’s brand and drive revenue growth for Campbell’s U.S. soup business by showing consumers how soup can help people eat better and enjoy every stage of life. The ads present an array of images and positive emotions, such as outdoor activities, energy and happiness.

The campaign presents the many varieties of Campbell’s soups within a common creative framework. All of the television spots include the same music, cinematography, voice-overs and tagline. Actor Tim Allen provides the voice over and each commercial concludes with a graphic and audio tagline: “It’s Amazing What Soup Can Do.”

The first spot to air, “Happier Place,” highlights all Campbell’s branded soups. The 30-second spot is the first of 15 television ads planned. The scale of the campaign, which includes television, print, radio, online, social media, along with in-store activation and sales promotion, is significantly larger than any previous Campbell campaign.

Campbell’s long-time advertising agencies, BBDO-New York and Y&R-New York, co-created the “It’s Amazing What Soup Can Do” campaign. Campbell has worked with BBDO for nearly 50 years and with Y&R for nearly 20 years.

“We’re in the unique position of having two long-standing partnerships with two great agencies who know our company and brands very well,” said Maureen Linder, Campbell’s VP-Global Advertising and Design. “We were able to tap into the collective knowledge base that Y&R and BBDO have of our brands and some of the best creative minds in the country across both agencies to develop this campaign.”

Both agencies collaborated on the overall brand strategy and look and feel of the campaign with Y&R creating ads for Campbell’s Chunky soup and Campbell’sHealthy Request, while BBDO took the lead on Campbell’s condensed soups and Campbell’sSelect Harvest soups.

Campbell has long been an advertising innovator. Campbell’s soups were first advertised with the help of the classic Campbell Kids characters on trolley boards in New York City in 1904. For many years, the company was the leading print advertiser in magazines like Saturday Evening Post, Colliers, Life and Look, where Page 2 was often referred to as the “Campbell’s page” within the advertising community of the day. In the 1930s Campbell began advertising on radio and the “M’m! M’m! Good!” jingle was first heard. In the 1950s Campbell made television the centerpiece of its advertising effort, including its long-running sponsorship of the classic “Lassie” series.

About Campbell Soup Company

Campbell Soup Company is a global manufacturer and marketer of high-quality foods and simple meals, including soup and sauces, baked snacks and healthy beverages. Founded in 1869, the company has a portfolio of market-leading brands, including “Campbell’s,” “Pepperidge Farm,” “Arnott’s” and “V8.” Through its corporate social responsibility program, the company strives to make a positive impact in the workplace, in the marketplace and in the communities in which it operates. Campbell is a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 and the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes. For more information, visit https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.campbellsoup.com%2F&esheet=6418093&lan=en-US&anchor=www.campbellsoup.com&index=1&md5=76675f463b15d86a4b8a96557869fd6b.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businesswire.com%2Fcgi-bin%2Fmmg.cgi%3Feid%3D6418093%26lang%3Den&esheet=6418093&lan=en-US&anchor=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businesswire.com%2Fcgi-bin%2Fmmg.cgi%3Feid%3D6418093%26lang%3Den&index=2&md5=3de895b3a72be5ed0656303e04df5959

SOURCE: Campbell Soup Company

Campbell Soup Company
John Faulkner
(856) 342-3738
[email protected]

Share