Honest Tea Plans First National Blitz Since Acquisition By Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola’s’s acquisition of Honest Tea just over a year ago gave the organic-bottled-tea company a major boost in national distribution. The brand is now focusing on a marketing plan to match.

In the past several months, Honest Tea has hired its first agency of record in New York-based Amalgamated and launched a marketing platform around Earth Day. Now, Ad Age has learned, the brand is planning a national ad campaign that will break later this year.

When Coca-Cola’s first invested in Honest Tea in 2008, it had distribution in about 15,000 outlets, but since the completion of the beverage giant’s purchase of the brand, it’s shot up to more than 100,000. Its portfolio has diversified, too. It has 40 different varieties in glass, plastic and kids’ pouches. New flavors include Passion Fruit Green Tea, the brand’s first stevia-sweetened zero-calorie beverage, and Raspberry Fields, an exclusive beverage for Whole Foods. Honey Green Tea is the company’s best-seller.

Honest Tea controls just 0.5% of the ready-to-drink tea market, but it’s among the fastest-growing brands, with volume up 31% in 2011, according to Beverage Digest. (www.adage.com)

Boeing’s marketing from Stratocruiser to Dreamliner

It’s not often that an airframe manufacturer needs to trouble with direct-to-consumer advertising. After all, few shoppers flipping through a magazine have $332.9 million to drop on a new 747. But there are exceptions (Boeing, in this case) when an aviation giant has turned out a plane so influential it can’t resist buzzing the rooftops. Two such cases appear on these pages, as does a salient lesson in marketing: Stylish young models and sharp digital photography might be nice to look at, but it doesn’t always make for a more effective ad.

In 1947, Boeing was returning to the civilian market after nearly 10 years of building only military planes. Adopted from the B-29 bomber, the Stratocruiser (a catchy name that touted the plane’s ability to fly at 33,000 feet) represented Boeing’s full-throttle effort to lure the public with a mix of technology and pampering. Not only did the Stratocruiser’s four 3,500-horsepower prop engines give the aluminum titan a 4,600-mile range, but the double-decker plane also featured hot meals, a smoking lounge downstairs and comfy berths able to sleep 28 people. In this ad, Boeing’s marketers also stressed engineering (check out that test-flight crew at work, right) to quell public anxiety about flying. In essence, then, this was a big, serious plane with big, serious marketing to match it, according to aviation historian and veteran journalist Henry M. Holden. “The airplane is pictured in flight—you can see those props turning—and it gave you a sense of power and bigness,” he said. “And when you see the instruments, you also get the feeling these guys are really testing these planes. So the ad is right-on. I understand exactly what they’re trying to tell the public.”

Sixty-five years later, Boeing has another pioneering plane it wants the public to know about. The 787 Dreamliner is the world’s first carbon-composite commercial airliner. Its lightweight engines give the behemoth a 7,650-mile range. Like the Stratocruiser, the 787 can be configured for two decks, and it’s packed with perks: oversized, electronically dimmable windows; seat-to-seat email; lavatories with bidets; and interior LEDs that create varicolored light shows to lull passengers into a slumber, hence the name. (www.adweek.com)

Roseanne Cash sings for America in the country’s first major tourism campaign overseas

It’s a daunting client to have—the United States of America. And yet, undaunted, JWT this week unveiled the first comprehensive tourism marketing campaign for the U.S. aimed at overseas visitors. And the results are … about what you’d expect.

Which isn’t to say, bad. Trying to capture a nation of America’s size, complexity and diversity in a 60-second TV spot is an impossible task. Naturally, you’re going to end up with imagery and themes you’ve seen hundreds of times before—America quickly turned to Americana, and wrapped in the gauze of unreality common to tourism spots everywhere. Still, given its run of the land, the campaign does deliver impressive images. New York. New Orleans. The mountains, the valleys, the fields and beaches. And then, beyond the images, you’ve got the music—a universal language for any overseas advertising. Here, it’s Rosanne Cash, the daughter of Johnny Cash, singing an original song, “Land of Dreams,” with backup from a host of musicians literally from all over the world. The spot is nicely shot and produced, and like all tourism commercials, all its edges are rounded and contours softened. Perfectly mirroring the desires of the target, it offers a vacation from reality—just on a bigger scale. The patriotism is familiar, too—from non-tourism ads. It’s like an anthemic American truck or beer commercial, just without the trucks or the beer.

The campaign—produced for Brand USA, a public-private partnership between the travel industry and the U.S. government dedicated to increasing international visits to the U.S.—also includes print and out of home, digital and social efforts. The tagline is: “Discover this land, like never before.” (www.adweek.com)

Fiesta Atlanta 2012 Welcomes Back Kroger As A Sponsor!

Kroger, the nation’s largest traditional grocery retailer, will again support Fiesta Atlanta in 2012. The 6th annual Fiesta Atlanta will take place at Centennial Olympic Park on Sunday, May 6th, 2012.

Kroger continues to promote and serve the growing Latino community while celebrating Cinco de Mayo with music, mariachis, international food, and lots of entertainment at Fiesta Atlanta 2012. Kroger’s display area will include a “Kroger Isle” featuring an interactive and dynamic area for families to enjoy free product samples and gather information on food items and amazing deals.

“We are really excited about returning to this terrific event that not only allows us to connect face to face with the Latino consumers in both English and Spanish language, but also helps us to understand their culture and specific needs,” said Glynn Jenkins, Kroger Communications & PR Director.

Ralph E. Herrera, President of Lanza Group, LLC stated, “We are honored to team up once again with Kroger, a company which not only supports hunger relief, breast cancer awareness, and more than 30,000 schools in the communities it serves, but also supports people from different communities with different backgrounds and cultures.” (www.sponsorship.com)

Citi Named New Title Sponsor Of Former Legg Mason Tennis Classic – Now “Citi Open”

Citi, the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF) and LagardeIEUR re Unlimited today announced that Citi has been named the new title sponsor of the ATP World Tour 500 Tournament called the Citi Open, previously known as the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. As part of a multi-year commitment, Citi becomes just the seventh title sponsor in the 44-year history of the tournament.

As an ATP World Tour 500 level event, the Citi Open is recognized by the ATP World Tour as one of the top 20 tournaments worldwide and continually attracts the best men’s tennis players from around the globe.

“The tournament has a storied history in Washington, D.C.,” said Dermot Boden, Citi Chief Brand Officer. “It’s been a prominent event on the ATP World Tour for years, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to do our part in carrying on the rich tradition, along with taking it to new heights as the Citi Open. This iconic event is a great way to mark our involvement in the local community, both on and off the court.”

“Tennis is truly a global sport, and we are fortunate to have one of the world’s most recognized and prestigious brands now entitling our tournament,” said Donald Dell, Group President of LagardeIEUR re Unlimited and Tournament Chairman. “We’re grateful to have had a long and prosperous relationship with Legg Mason, and we anticipate an excellent relationship and partnership with Citi for many years to come.” (www.sponsorship.com)

AmeriHealth NJ Extends Sponsorship Agreement With New Jersey Devils For Three Additional Years

AmeriHealth NJ today announced the company has extended its sponsorship with the New Jersey Devils for three additional years.

AmeriHealth NJ and the New Jersey Devils first teamed up in 2008. This extended agreement includes added branding opportunities as well as increased social media engagement. Highlights from the extension include:

AmeriHealth NJ will continue to hold the naming rights to the AmeriHealth Pavilion, the New Jersey Devils official practice facility.

AmeriHealth NJ will be the title sponsor of the “Marquee Match-Up,” a program that features youth hockey games played during the first intermission at selected New Jersey Devils regular season home games.

AmeriHealth NJ will continue as the presenting sponsor of the “New Jersey Youth Hockey Central,” which is a page on the Devils official website, www.newjerseydevils.com/njyouth , that features scores, stats, and standings for more than 300 high school and youth hockey teams across the state

“We are proud to expand our partnership with the New Jersey Devils and be a part of the continued revitalization of Newark,” said Judith L. Roman, president and CEO of AmeriHealth New Jersey. “In addition, teaming up with the Devils on their various youth programs has further enabled AmeriHealth New Jersey to educate young children on the importance of staying active and living a healthy lifestyle – a message that we believe is important to instill at an early age.” (www.sponsorship.com)

Tide And The NFL Announce Multi-Year Sponsorship With The League And All 32 Teams

Procter and Gamble’s Tide and the National Football League today announced a multi-year sponsorship beginning with the 2012 NFL season. A staple of NFL locker rooms for years, Tide is also now a sponsor of the League and all 32 NFL teams, affirming the brand as the “Official Laundry Detergent of the NFL.”

Tide’s NFL sponsorship is part of Procter and Gamble’s national sponsorship of the League. Products across Tide’s portfolio will be sporting specialty NFL packaging prior to the start of the NFL season as part of a fully-integrated program with support across all marketing channels. Additionally, the individual team sponsorships allow Tide the opportunity to utilize team marks and execute team-specific marketing programs.

“Tide’s NFL sponsorship allows us to tap into the huge passion America has for the NFL and the emotion that more than 180 million fans have for their favorite teams,” says Sundar Raman, North America Fabric Care Marketing Director at P&G. “The NFL is the ultimate test for a laundry detergent and we’re proud that our brand is one the equipment managers trust to keep uniforms clean.”

NFL teams clean more laundry in one week than the average US household does in two years. An average team can clean more than 5,500 pounds of laundry each week, compared to the average US household which does 41.5 pounds. (www.sponsorship.com)

A Move to Put Mustard in Food as Well as on It

COMMERCIALS for French’s mustard, the 108-year-old Reckitt Benckiser brand, have tended to feature backyard barbecues and ballparks where the mustard, unsurprisingly, is squirted on hot dogs, hamburgers and sandwiches.

Now the mustard wants to spread itself more broadly, with an advertising campaign that highlights it less as a condiment than as a recipe ingredient.

One new commercial begins with a young couple welcoming another young couple into a stylish apartment.

“For new guests, I trust the recipe I know by heart,” begins the hostess in a voice-over. “A great catch” — here both a filet of salmon and her adoring boyfriend are shown — “and sauce made with French’s Dijon with chardonnay.” (www.nytimes.com)

Burger King To Go Cage-Free

Burger King will stop using suppliers who put chickens and pigs in cages, by 2017. According to a report this week from the Humane Society of the United States, “Crammed Into Cages,” other leading food companies, including Subway, Wolfgang Puck, and Unilever (Hellmann’s mayonnaise and other products), have committed to transition to 100% cage-free eggs.

What’s more, the Humane Society said, “Walmart and Costco have ensured that their private label brand eggs are 100 percent cage-free.” And the Compass Group, the world’s largest food-service provider, has switched roughly 100 million of its eggs to cage-free, it said. (www.mediapost.com)
Dan Marino Becomes AARP Spokesman

Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, who passed for 420 touchdowns during his career, recently passed 50 and now is the “men’s life ambassador” marketing spokesman for AARP, the non-profit group that works on behalf of 37 million people who have passed the half-century mark. (www.mediapost.com)

Mission Athletecare’s New Sports Product Tackles Overheating

The EnduraCool Instant Cooling Towel is being described as a towel made from a proprietary fabric that “delivers fast, long-lasting cooling effects to enhance performance and combat overheating for all athletes at all levels of play.” The EnduraCool towel absorbs water and, when activated by snapping or stretching it, cools the towel down to 59 degrees. The product made it from R&D to market via the combined efforts of Dwight Howard, Sergio Garcia, Georges St-Pierre and Williams, who all will be involved in marketing efforts. (www.mediapost.com)
Taco Trucks Drive Dos Equis’ ‘Brave’ Marketing

A new breeze is blowing in experiential marketing, bearing the delicious intermingling scents of tacos and truck exhaust. That’s because food and beverage marketers are turning to a (relatively) new urban phenomenon — the taco truck — to carry their messages to the masses.

In the latest iteration, Dos Equis is staging a nationwide promotion around the upcoming Cinco de Mayo holiday using taco trucks. In the “Feast of the Brave,” running from April 25-May 5, Dos Equis is daring consumers to visit the Dos Equis-branded taco trucks to taste “unique” (read: unusual) taco-based dishes and delicacies.

In six cities around the U.S. — Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami — local chefs are using ingredients not normally found in the diets of American urbanites to create tacos, the eating of which earns the adventuresome soul different amounts of “bravery points.”

Ingredients include pig’s ear, chicken gizzard, iguana, alligator, crickets and hog stomach. The city that earns the most “bravery points” wins. In each city the promotion is being carried out with well-known local taco truck operators. (www.mediapost.com)