Public relations and advertising worked together recently to bring Gardenburger, Inc. [GBUR] ahead of its competition in grocery stores sales and brand awareness.
Sales and awareness of the meatless alternative to a hamburger was boosted by two advertising and public relations campaigns launched by integrated marketing communications provider Publicis Dialog (formerly EvansGroup), of New York.
Publicis Dialog and Publicis & Hal Riney, an advertising agency, launched Gardenburger's first nationwide TV campaign in May, which culminated in a strategically placed ad during the final episode of the NBC sitcom "Seinfeld."
Publicis' multi-layered approach to the "Seinfeld" campaign, which included public relations support, breathed life into the Gardenburger story and resulted in 168 million total gross media impressions and more than 1,200 news stories. Stories appeared on television and radio networks, major wire services, print news and various magazines.
"We knew we'd get a lot of attention. We never imagined it would be so vast," said Publicis Dialog Account Supervisor, Kevin Bush.
The week following the "Seinfeld" commercial, sales of Gardenburger product increased by 411 percent compared to the same week in '97. Its sales in the meatless burger category were up 106 percent from the same week last year.
Sailing on Seinfeld's Coattails
Gardenburger President and CEO Lyle Hubbard did not make the decision to run a spot in the final episode of Seinfeld lightly. But the ancillary coverage alone practically paid for the cost of the Seinfeld spot, reportedly about $1.5 million. "We received so much free publicity we ended up getting the spot for free. In hindsight it was a terrific decision. It worked out just the way we had hoped and in fact, better," Hubbard said.
The cost of the May through September national television campaign, which featured three animated commercials narrated by actor Samuel L. Jackson, was about $13 million.
To prepare for the advertising sweep, Gardenburger executives were coached in media relations to prepare for interviews. Publicis Dialog's other public relations strategies leading up to the Seinfeld advertisement included:
- Making copies of the ad available to 100 NBC affiliates;
- Targeting a specific list of media, such as like advertising and food columnists;
- Creating curiosity about Gardenburger Inc. as a small company investing in a single television spot to boost sales;
- Aggressively positioning Gardenburger's decision to advertise on Seinfeld as a bold but sound investment; and
- Releasing the results of the campaign to demonstrate the success of the campaign before interest fades.
The results proved attractive to NBC, which featured the buzz about Gardenburger in NBC Marketing Solutions, a newsletter produced by NBC for its clients in the advertising community.
Additionally, Publicis updated Gardenburger's web site (www.gardenburger.com) to promote the ad campaign. Publicis reported an increase in traffic on the site, which received 32,350 hits on May 14 and 15, up from a daily average of 4,500.
In 1997 Gardenburger's product sales rose 170 percent. Between January and June of this year its grocery market share of veggie patties was at 52 percent, two times more than its closest competitor. Gardenburger captured 70 percent of the veggie patty category growth in the grocery channel in the same time period, according to Hubbard.
NPD Online Research, of Port Washington, N.Y., polled 485 individuals over the World Wide Web between 10 p.m. May 14 and 1 p.m. May 15 about their thoughts on the Seinfeld finale. The Godzilla and Gardenburger spots ranked as the number one and two commercials respectively in viewer recollection. Gardenburger was the third favorite commercial.
Building the Brand and Category
Gardenburger's 1997 print campaign laid the foundation for the national TV debut.
The print campaign and book-cuisine tour earned the International Association of Business Communications Northwest Classic Award of Merit in 1997. The $100,000 campaign drew 110 media stories and 14.8 million media impressions. Publicis Dialog estimates the publicity generated was worth six times the cost of the campaign.
The agency's hook was GardenCuisine, a hardback book authored by Gardenburger founder and Chief Creative Officer Paul Wenner. Wenner toured with the book and recipes and appeared on television show food segments after receiving media relations training. Additionally, Publicis created a five-point plan for the appearances and interviews that Wenner followed to ensure the entire Gardenburger message was received.
"Our job was to put [Wenner] on the air with hosts of local TV programs and get them to taste the product," Bush said. "And in every single situation the response was `Wow, that's great.' And in doing so [we] gained an independent endorsement for the product which made a heavy impression on the consumer." (Kevin Bush, Publicis Dialog, 206-270-4604.)
Gardenburger Inc.
- Headquarters: Portland, Ore.
- Employees: 300
- Founded: 1985
- Went Public: 1992
- Net sales Jan.-June 1998: $38,779,000
- Where Products sold: 35,000 food service outlets in U.S., Canada and Europe as well as 30,000 grocery, club and natural food outlets nationwide
Publicis Dialog
- Headquarters: New York
- Projected 1998 billings: $700m
- Staff: more than 600
- Formerly: EvansGroup prior to acquisition in June 1998 by Publicis of Paris.