Thursday, February 7, 2013

Will correcting a misconception sell more cream cheese?


Philadelphia Cream Cheese just launched a new campaign focusing on its fresh ingredients.  The ads will highlight several key brand features – all fresh ingredients including local milk and real cream, minimal preservatives, and six days from farm to market.  (Lukovitz, 2013)

The approach is based on research which indicated that people think cream cheese is a highly processed food.  It replaces a campaign that employed an emotional approach and featured multiple generations cooking with and enjoying the brand, so it’s a big departure.

Here’s the ad:



What do you think?  Is it a smart move?  Will it work?

Lukovitz, K. (2013, January 31)  Philly Cream Cheese Campaign: We Set the Standard.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved February 6, 2013, from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/192355/philly-cream-cheese-campaign-we-set-the-standard.html?edition=56075#axzz2KAEJp1S6


5 comments:

Yahya Henry said...

I feel the campaign will be effective for a number of reasons. For starters, storytelling often translates well both into reenforcing a brand and sales. As someone who regularly uses Philadelphia Cream Cheese, the ad reenforces why I use this brand in the first place. I like the fact the campaign is multifaceted in that it's attempting to reach women, food magazines and will be engaging both online and offline media. Philadelphia Cream Cheese is an established brand that is now competing in a space where competitors very well may have a processed product and being able to differentiate themselves from the pack should produce positive results.

Kathleen Mattie said...

I really think this ad will be effective. It seems like the deliberate target for the ad was couples in their 30's; this group are among the generation that's looking for fresh food without preservatives. I found the ad itself very appealing with the swirl of milk and the cream in the bowl, not to mention, the 'from farm to market' seal in the upper right hand corner. I am not a cheese eater at all, but the way the food was swirling around made me want to eat cream cheese! Very well done.

Susan DiBello said...

The wave of milk being carefully poured then blended was filmed so beautifully. Customers love freshness and to know it will be in our stores in six days reinforces that. We no longer need to check the expiration dates on the cream cheese because it will be flying off the shelves.
A fresh tasting cream cheese that's setting the standard hit the mark.
Using a couple having a good time and eating strawberries dipped in cream cheese looked appetizing.

Susan DiBello

Jon D'Errico said...

I also was very impressed by the filming of the white wave of milk at the start of the commercial...for me, it made the cream cheese seem lighter (in both consistency and in health terms) and more pleasurable.

One of the parts of this ad that really stuck out to me was the mention of how little time it takes for the cream cheese to go from the farm to the store (6 days). With the massive trend towards healthier alternatives, this definitely helps the brand position itself as a fresh and wholesome product.

Overall, I think the ad will be very helpful in rebranding Philadelphia Cream Cheese.

Michael Bennett said...

I believe this ad will be very effective at reaching health conscientious consumers. In response to shoppers' concerns that cream cheese is a highly processed food, it appears that Philadelphia is making their best effort at transparency by showing each step of the production process. Dipping a strawberry in the cream cheese was also strategic in that it reinforces the idea of a healthy product that is best eaten with fresh fruit and other healthy foods. All in all, they are effectively taking a product that has been around for at least 100 years and giving it a fresh new image.