The perception of beans hasn't recovered since the infamous campfire scene in 'Blazing Saddles,' Mel Brooks' hilarious spoof of the Old West that was released in 1974.
"I'd say you boys have had enough," brays Taggart, when asked by one his fellow cowpokes if he wants some baked beans. In the ensuing 30 years, beans have been the butt of
jokes worldwide. Now, the Northarvest Bean Growers Association (Frazee, North Dakota) is embarking on a PR campaign to change that.
"They realize that people did not take beans seriously and that they had some perception issues," says Jim Bendt, president of Minneapolis-based media agency Gabriel, deGrood
& Bendt, which landed the account earlier this year and is now preparing for the rollout. "They know they need a voice because they've been silent for so many years and needed
to shake things up."
With an increasing focus on America's expanding waistline and healthy eating, it is now incumbent upon food companies and associations, famous chefs and restaurants -- from
fast-food chains up to white tablecloth establishments -- to highlight the nutritional value in their foods. Aside from highlighting healthy ingredients, etc., it helps in a
food PR campaign to plug the personality behind the brand, or any other juicy nuggets of information the media can sink its teeth into.
The bean campaign, which kicks off this January in Boston (Beantown), will blanket food districts in a bevy of metropolitan areas, including Denver, Phoenix and Tampa. Messages
will be placed on outdoor boards, transit stops and bus benches along with wrappings around transit trains and delivery trucks. The messages do not shy away from the humor
associated with beans. A few headlines read: "Who cut the cholesterol?" "Live to be an old fart" and "The all-new Pintos are here."
Bean growers hope the messages will drive consumers to a new Web site launching in January, http://www.magicalfruit.org, where they will find health and nutrition information about beans and links to A-list epicurean magazines
that will offer new bean recipes. Northarvest is now trying to establish partnerships for the site with magazines like Gourmet and Cooking Light.
Similar to beans, soymilk is another product that's had some baggage. "During the 1980s, soymilk equaled 'Yuck,'" says Julie Johnson, senior counselor and chair of the Food
& Beverage Industry Group at PR firm Carmichael Lynch Spong, who represents White Wave, a major producer of soymilk that was acquired by Dean Foods in 2002 for $290 million.
Since the Food and Drug Administration's 1999 ruling that soymilk lowered cholesterol, Carmichael Lynch Spong has taken pains to reposition the brand. The agency initially
repackaged the product so it could be distributed via the refrigerator section -- instead of dry goods -- and in the last several years has helped to convince consumers that
soymilk is, well, cool. It has accomplished this through educational efforts in schools and doctors' offices and broadcast segments in more than 30 markets -- both radio and TV --
showing all the types of foods in which soymilk can be substituted for regular milk, like eggs and milk shakes. The agency also landed product placements on popular network TV
programs such as "Jag" and "Scrubs."
The bean growers/soymilk PR campaigns reflect the changing dynamics of food PR. "There's always going to be a hot, new restaurant, with built-in hype, so all other brands have
to pull something out of the equation," says Jennifer Baum, president of New York-based PR firm Bullfrog & Baum, who represents the Citarella gourmet food chain, telechef
Bobby Flay, owner of Bolo and Mesa Grill, and Il Laboratorio del Gelato, the gelato brand founded by Jon Snyder, who also created the Ciao Bella gelato.
Snyder, who grew up working in his grandparents' Carvel ice cream store and sold the Ciao Bella brand to put himself through school, opened up a sleek, new shop in downtown
Manhattan last year to sell his Il Laboratorio gelato. He's been featured in food magazines, including Food & Wine and Bon Appetit, as well as a front-page story in The New
York Times' Dining section.
"We were able to tap into his personality, which is vital to the media," Baum says. "It's easy to get seduced by the glamour [of being in the food business] but when it comes
down to it you need to produce good food in a hospitable environment and get that message out."
With so much clutter in the restaurant space, established food brands have to work harder to stay visible. Rocky Aoki, who founded the Japanese restaurant chain Benihana, has
shown a knack for PR in the nearly 40 years since he opened his first Benihana in the States, what with his world-famous balloon rides, motorboats and palling around with Muhammad
Ali.
Although Benihana has not veered too far from its core fare, it's expanded into sushi with its 1999 acquisition of the Haru sushi restaurant chain and recently introduced a
line of teas and sakis in its 75 restaurants in the U.S. "We have diversified the brand into other concepts, maintained the standards and taken the restaurant to another level,"
says Kevin Aoki, VP/marketing at Benihana and Rocky's son, who adds that about 25% of the restaurant's marketing budget is devoted to PR.
George McKerrow Jr., founder (along with one-time media kingpin Ted Turner), president and partner of Ted's Montana Grill, amplified Aoki's comments that once consumers get
comfortable with a certain kind of cuisine it's important the restaurant not lose the appeal that attracted customers in the first place.
"The more variety you have, the more chance you have for inconsistency," says McKerrow, Jr., who has opened eleven Ted's Montana Grill restaurants in Colorado, Georgia, Ohio
and Tennessee since launching in early 2002. So, although the restaurant chain -- inspired by Turner's passion for bison -- has a variety of beef burgers available, don't expect a
Veggie Wrap to be added to the menu anytime soon. "Too many people change concepts on a dime."
Contacts: Kevin Aoki, 305.593.0770, [email protected]; Jim Bendt, 612.547.5050, [email protected]; Jennifer Baum, 212.556.6717; [email protected]; Julie Johnson,
612.375.8502; [email protected]; George McKerrow, Jr., 404.266.1344; [email protected].
What's Cooking in Food PR
With fierce competition in the restaurant industry and new food chains popping up like mushrooms, PR has become more important than ever in getting the message out for
restaurant companies and the agencies that represent them. Below are a few "foodie" trends to keep in mind when developing PR campaigns in this very crowded space.
- Individual Attention - Clients expect personal attention more than ever, which is imperative to a successful campaign.
- Varied Services - Clients both small and large are seeking a "one stop shop" for all of their PR and marketing needs. Public relations, marketing, consulting, graphic design
and other services create a complete package. - PR firm with knowledge and relevant experience -- Clients in the private and public sector are benefiting greatly from PR firms whose members have experience in the fields
they represent. An experienced account executive is able to better serve a client and act as an educated advocate when dealing with the media. - Get to know the people behind the concept -- In this competitive market, it is often the personality of the chef or owner that creates differentiation between restaurants.
Highlight these unique characteristics. - It's about the food; but not just the ingredients -- PR for restaurants today is about the ingredients and how the chef relates to them (i.e. how they are grown, how the chef
works with the farmer, where they are coming from) rather than the ingredients themselves. - More than just information dissemination for the corporate client -- For the corporate client such as large chains, public relations is focusing less on straightforward
information dissemination and crisis management (although both are vital elements in any program) and more on specific pitches to the business, food and lifestyle media. - Don't chase trends -- This advice works for both clients and PR firms. Be original, go with what you know. Just because it's a trend doesn't mean it's the only way to go.
Remain true to yourself.
Source: Jennifer Baum, Bullfrog & Baum