The news that yet another company had come out with a portable snack for on-the-go Americans wasn't likely to win headlines in 2000. So when Dean Foods turned to Dome
Communications to launch its Dips-for-One product, the agency team knew it would have to come up with a multi-faceted campaign and some clever news hooks to overcome the
perception that the product was just another convenience-packaged item.
Dip Data
Dome did extensive research on how Americans consume dip. The team collaborated with the American Dietetic Association and the United States Department of Agriculture to
research American diet and relevant eating trends for busy families.
Dome launched the new product at the Food Marketing Institute Show, the largest national food marketing event. The Dome team knew from experience that the Associated Press
story on FMI typically leads the national coverage of the tradeshow, including placements on the coveted morning shows. During the first day of the show, however, pitches on the
convenience of the product alone weren't cutting through the clutter. "We pitched the product announcement, but we needed more meat to the story," says Doug Dome, CEO of Dome
Communications. "We kept running into how to differentiate it from what everybody else was pitching."
In a stroke of good luck, the USDA announced it was increasing the number of daily recommended vegetables. Along with that announcement, the USDA offered advice for parents on
how to get kids to consume more veggies - including using dip to make them more fun. The Dome team jumped on the news and immediately revamped its pitching strategy, positioning
Dips-for-One as a great way to encourage eating more vegetables - whatever your schedule. The Associated Press picked up the story, and true to form, once the AP story ran, Dips-
for-One got widespread national coverage, including the CBS "Evening News" and "CBS Saturday Morning."
After the show, a "Where Do You Dip?" vehicle rolled out to eight key markets, visiting summer festivals, beaches and water parks where families would be found on weekends. The
events were promoted through local media with customized press materials for each market, and Dome launched a "Where Do You Dip?" contest that drew consumers to the Mobile. The
photo contest challenged entrants to demonstrate the "most outlandish and imaginative" places they dip with Dips-for-One. Consumers could enter at the "Where Do You Dip?" Mobile
or through the http://www.dipsforone.com Web site, or by mail. The winner, a six-year-old boy who dressed up as a cowboy, complete with
holsters full of chips, won a real-life photo shoot for a national print ad that ran in Family Circle.
Results
The campaign exceeded its goal of 100 million media impressions by 12 million, a huge figure for a product that is only available in one third of national markets. Plus, Dips-
for-One got a brand mention in 95 percent of all media initiatives, exceeding its 50 percent goal by 45 percent.
While Dean Foods will not permit Dome to release sales figures, the company says Dips-for-One sales exceeded goals. Dean attributes a major part of the product's success to the
integrated marketing campaign, including the powerful grassroots efforts and the Web site (designed and supported by Dome), which received more than 10,000 hits.
Strategy of the Week
In this brand new feature, we offer you a weekly look at simple, straightforward, highly effective strategies for making your PR efforts shine. This week's top tactic:
Abandon jargon. There is always a way to explain complex software or other high-tech product offerings without using meaningless phrases like "best of breed solution" or
technical language only reporters with engineering degrees could comprehend. Schwartz Communications solved the problem by comparing its client, Red Hat, to a very well-known
competitor - Microsoft. The technique accomplished two goals - it provided reporters an immediate understanding of Red Hat's open source code by comparing it to Microsoft's
Windows NT operating system. It also positioned Red Hat as the nimble underdog whose source code was a reliable alternative to the much-reviled software giant's system.
Campaign Stats
Timeframe: May to November, 2000
Budget: $200,000
Dome Team:
Corinne Gudovic, Account Executive
Victoria Ricks, Senior Account Supervisor
Doug Dome, CEO
312/467-0760
Dome Communications received an Honorable Mention in the PR NEWS Platinum PR Awards New Product Launch category for the Dips-for-One National Roll-Out.