Campbell Soup Answers With 'Well Yes!'

Camden, N.J. — American consumers are increasingly demanding food products with "clean labels" free of artificial ingredients and geared toward better health. Campbell Soup Co. officials say it is addressing those requests with a resounding "Well Yes!"That’s the name of the company’s new line of nine soups – launched in late 2016, with more to come this year. It is a play on the word “wellness,” says Jeffrey Seigel, senior manager, in-store merchandising and visibility. The product aims to alleviate shoppers’ concerns about artificial flavors and colors and other additives. “Campbell’s has been working on a bigger journey to more clean-label production,” prompted by “what consumers think, and the attack on ‘Big Food’ that we’ve been hearing for a long time,” Seigel says. “We were the first company to announce that we were going to voluntarily label [genetically modified] products. We are trying to eliminate where we can any consumer ingredient concerns.”The line of simple, unprocessed soups was pioneered by a group of Campbell women who wanted to develop a product specifically for people like them, with healthy ingredients like kale, quinoa and lean protein, company officials say. The group invited like-minded consumers to help them co-create the brand, aimed at a consumer named “Maria,” who wants healthy, convenient options for her family.“Well Yes! is created with nutritious and purposeful ingredients,” says Jim Sterbenz, Campbell senior vice president of sales. “It was inspired by the feedback of real people and inventive chefs at Campbell’s. As we continue to advance our real food agenda, we are committed to adding more benefits to our food, making our products better and more accessible to people and offering new and innovative products that resonate with our shoppers.”The line officially rolled out on Dec. 20, and the timing is not a coincidence, Seigel says. “A lot of our thought behind that is that it’s well-aligned with people’s New Year’s resolutions and healthy eating.”The launch campaign encompasses a fully integrated effort that includes consumer promotions, a product-specific website and Facebook page, digital and TV ad campaigns as well as other public relations efforts. Video spots, created by BBDO New York, were set to roll out in January.Perhaps the most striking piece of the in-store campaign will be the product labels. “The labels have clear and concise food shots so the customers can see the ingredients in the soup, without all the little words,” Seigel says. “We worked on developing artwork that shows our customers how wonderful the food is, what the ingredients are and how well it’s made.”The campaign launched with four national displays, including a 36-piece shipper floorstand along with quarter-, half- and full-pallets, all with related graphics that show “pretty” food shots and the themed bright orange color, “which will make it easy to find,” Seigel says. The displays are intended to have store perimeter placement to create awareness.Before the rollout, Walgreens requested custom displays with on-shelf tools to highlight the product, as well as a “skinny tower” display that Seigel thinks will be a showstopper.“We pushed the envelope, for a food company, so the launch resembled an ‘A’ launch for a cosmetics company,” he says. “The beauty is in the details.”Campbell and its creative partner The Mars Agency, Southfield, Mich., worked on the campaign for about a year before launch with a cross-functional team of supply chain, marketing and sales. “I’m positive we’ll get every customer in America to try it at least once,” Seigel says. “The question is always the repeat.” Campbell hopes to encourage additional purchases with line extensions into new flavors by early summer, he says.

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