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Campbell's devotes 40pc of media buy to digital, mobile platforms

The Campbell Soup Company is launching a new multiplatform campaign, putting a greater focus on mobile and social video to reflect consumers' growing interest in video on these platforms. 

The canned food manufacturer is increasing its marketing investments on social media 18 percent to better gain transaction within the tech-focused market of today. Campbell?s will be launching a variety of video advertisements through mobile, social platforms and media partners such as BuzzFeed, Thrillist, Vox and Hulu. 

?Campbell is significantly stepping up its investment in digital media this year, which will shift to be around 40 percent of the media buy, up from 22 percent last year,? said Megan Haney, senior manager at Campbell Soup Company. ?We are focused on engaging with consumers where they are and know that mobile and social play a large role in doing so, and in creating more engaging, personalized experiences that enable us to develop smarter, deeper connections with our consumers. 

?Our digital spend includes mobile and social activations through video and sponsored content on sites like BuzzFeed, Thrillist, Vox and Hulu,? she said. 

Slurping up marketing
The traditional soup brand has spanned multiple generations, and has done so through an evolution consistent with consumer behavior. It is imperative for brands to reevaluate their strategies to coincide with what consumers are interested in, and reach them on platforms which they are spending a significant amount of time. 

Campbell?s is continuing this generational evolution with its new Made for Real, Real Life campaign, which showcases a variety of moments that happen in everyday life featuring a diverse span of different types of families. The campaign will be seen on mobile and social platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, as well as digital publications and television spots. 

Made For Real, Real Life is the first omnichannel campaign of Campbell?s in more than five years. The brand is not only leveraging platforms of the modern age, but is also engaging consumers through contemporary content and is focusing on truer American moments. 

For instance, one vignette features a same sex couple feeding their son together, starting out with one father on screen feeding his son using the iconic Darth Vader line and voice from the Star Wars franchise. The ad then cuts to his partner attempting the voice as well to entice their son to eat, and the two joke about its quality. 


Another piece features a younger couple eating while engrossed on their mobile devices, while a narrator explains ?nothing like a good quick meal to bring people together.? The brand is relating to consumers with everyday experiences in which with everyone can connect. 
The campaign is designed to further strengthen relationships with existing consumers and establish connections with new generations of families,? Ms. Haney said. ?It is about showing how our food fits with real everyday life moments in a way we can all relate to and laugh about. 

Strategy for soup
Marketers should continue shifting more marketing spend to video-based messages as consumers increasingly want and expect mobile video content, according to a Citrix report in February (see more). 

Also, a Forrester Research analyst at the Mcommerce Summit: State of Mobile Commerce 2015 explained the importance of developing a multichannel approach to keep up with consumers' constantly evolving behavior and continual shift towards mobile (see more). 

Campbell?s is on the right track in combining these facets of marketing for an effective campaign. 

"The campaign is designed to further strengthen relationships with existing consumers and establish connections with new generations of families," Ms. Haney said. "It is about showing how our food fits with real everyday life moments in a way we can all relate to and laugh about. 

"The campaign will run across multiple channels so we wanted to focus on small moments, we call it ?moment-telling,' rather than storytelling to connect with today?s American family," she said. 

Final take

Brielle Jaekel is editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer