Larsen, a packaged meat brand owned by Maple Leaf Foods, has launched a new advertising campaign and contest that highlights its Atlantic Canadian identity.
The campaign began last week and features three radio spots, including one French ad. Each spot puts forth a scenario in which characters outside the country’s East Coast go to desperate measures to acquire Larsen products, which are only sold in Atlantic Canada.
In one of the English spots, for example, a character demands five million Larsen wieners in exchange for the release of hostages. In another, a Toronto-based criminal plans a heist of Larsen bologna from an East Coast supermarket.
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The radio spots also alert listeners to a contest that will award three winners a “bottomless meat locker” filled with a year’s supply of Larsen products. Consumers can enter the contest by filling in an online form at the Larsen website or sending in a hard-copy version included in a direct mail piece sent to consumers in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Kevin Lake, director of sliced meats and deli at Maple Leaf Foods, said the campaign – developed by St. John’s, Nfld. agency Target Marketing and Communications and also includes new packaging and website design – is an attempt to re-establish the Larsen brand in the Atlantic region.
“This is a brand that people in Atlantic Canada have grown up with, and they go out of their way to stay loyal to Atlantic Canada-based brands,” said Lake. “As such, we wanted to demonstrate how much consumers love the products in Atlantic Canada by showing what lengths people outside the region would go to to have access to the brand.”
Jenny Smith, creative group head at Target, agreed, saying the objective was to “give the people from the region a sense of ownership and pride in the brand.”
