Real Mamas Featured in National Campaign with New Lineup of ‘Mama’s Boys’
CAMDEN, N.J., Sep 5, 2002 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Wilma McNabb, Louise Strahan, Gladys Bettis and Lavoyda Leonard, it’s your turn to shine. Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB) will feature the four NFL mamas along side their superstar sons in the newest batch of Campbell’s Chunky soup commercials debuting Monday, Sept. 16.
Each pair of NFL moms and sons are featured in television and radio commercials that will air through February 2003. The line-up finds Philadelphia Eagles’ all-pro quarterback Donovan McNabb returning to the 2002 soup-season campaign, joined by his mother Wilma in a spot entitled “Scrap Yard.” New to this year’ s “Mama’s Boys” campaign are Pittsburgh Steeler Jerome Bettis and Gladys Bettis in “Bowling,” New York Giant Michael Strahan and Louise Strahan in “Subway,” and Chicago Bear Brian Urlacher and his mother Lavoyda Leonard in “Kindergarten.”
Campbell’s “Mama’s Boys” campaign has worked in tandem with the company’s sponsorship of the National Football League to help solidify the strong Chunky soup positioning that has helped fuel the brand’s double-digit sales growth. The addition of the players’ real-life moms is part of a creative shift to reach out to a broader audience. While this year’s commercials feature the lighthearted humor of past campaigns, each player and mom teams up to bring the trademark Chunky soup “It fills you up right” message to members of the community at large.
The commercial locations are varied to take Chunky soup from the football field to the “real world.” In past campaigns, actresses have portrayed the mothers and featured the moms ‘filling their sons up right.’ But this year the pairs will be taking Chunky Soup to the community.
“The Campbell’s Chunky soup campaign has always had fun with the interplay between the best personalities in the NFL and their mothers’ outrageous efforts to keep their boys eating right,” said Jeremy Fingerman, Vice President – U.S. Soup. “This year’ s ‘Mama’s Boys’ campaign will truly bring this nurturing and caring relationship to life, and take the comedic effort to the community at large.”
The campaign reinforces Campbell’s relationship with the NFL and highlights the breadth and quality of the Chunky Soup line. The total marketing effort will be the largest in the history of the Chunky brand, with a media buy of more than $25 MM that will be spread out through a variety of daytime, primetime and late night network and cable programs, as well as sports programming. The campaign will be complemented by a mobile marketing tour and a nationwide hunger relief and donation program.
With 12 Pro-Bowl appearances among them, the 2002 Chunky soup “Mama’s Boys” line up reads like an all-star roster of established and up-and-coming players. On offense, McNabb continued to dominate during his third NFL season, leading the Philadelphia Eagles to the NFC championship game in 2002, and perennial Pittsburgh great Bettis rushed for his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season. On the defensive side, Strahan and Urlacher both sacked their competition last season, with Strahan breaking the 17-year-old, single-season record for sacks with 22-1/2, and Urlacher, on his way to his second Pro-Bowl, provided the leadership that put the “monster” back in Chicago’s defense.
“‘Mama’s Boys’ are selected based on their on-field performances, off- field personalities and personification of the Chunky soup brand — a bigger- than-life, hard-working guy who is always looking out for others,” added Fingerman.
Campbell’s Chunky/NFL Tackling Hunger program generated a donation of more than 6 million cans of Campbell’s soup for food banks across the country last season alone, and more than 26 million pounds of food since 1997. The Tackling Hunger mobile tour will show fans learn how they can help fight hunger in America and will provide product sampling and interactive games at NFL events and other venues throughout the season. In addition, fans can do their part to help tackle hunger by visiting www.chunky.com to locate an America’s Second Harvest affiliate in their area.
Campbell’s Chunky soup brand has doubled in sales since 1997 and will follow its successful game plan in the 2002 soup season with increased investments in marketing and product improvement. Four of Campbell’s Chunky chicken varieties will have more chicken than before and Campbell also is introducing a new line of Chunky “Roasted Favorites” soups in October, including: Slow Roasted Beef with Mushrooms, Herb Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Garlic, and Honey Roasted Ham with Potatoes. All Campbell’s Chunky soup varieties are packaged in easy-open, pop-top cans.
Creative for the campaign is handled by Eric Glickman and Stephen Hersh and produced by Robin Dobson at Young & Rubicam, New York.
About Campbell Soup Company: Campbell Soup Company is a global manufacturer and marketer of high quality soup, sauces, beverage, biscuits, confectionery and prepared food products. The company owns a portfolio of more than 20 market-leading businesses each with more than $100 million in sales. They include “Campbell’s” soups worldwide, “Erasco” soups in Germany and “Liebig” soups in France, “Pepperidge Farm” cookies and crackers, “V8” and “V8 Splash” juices, “Pace” Mexican sauces, “Prego” pasta sauces, “Franco- American” pastas and gravies, “Swanson” broths, “Homepride” sauces in the United Kingdom, “Arnott’s” biscuits in Australia and “Godiva” chocolates around the world. The company also owns dry soup and sauce businesses in Europe under the “Batchelors,” “Oxo,” “Lesieur,” “Royco,” “Liebig,” “Heisse Tasse,” “Bla Band” and “McDonnells” brands. The company is ably supported by 24,000 employees worldwide. For more information on the company, visit Campbell’s website on the Internet at www.campbellsoup.com.
SOURCE Campbell Soup Company
CONTACT: Jeff Bedard, +1-856-342-5291, [email protected] , or Jerry Gleason, +1-312-988-2277, [email protected] , both for Campbell Soup Company
URL: https://www.chunky.com
