Unilever is aiming to inspire home cooks this summer with a shopper marketing campaign at IGA locations in Quebec.
The multi-brand program, now in its sixth year, was created by Montreal agency Bob. This year’s campaign promotes Hellmann’s, Becel and Knorr, and features well-known Quebec chef Mélanie Marchand for the second year.
“The theme this year is more around a cooking class with our friend Mélanie Marchand,” said Dominic Prigent, director of shopper marketing at Bob. “I think people connect with her because she’s not Jamie Oliver, but she’s almost like the girl next door… She is a mom, she is a Quebecker, she is a chef, and she’s got her own way to express herself. She is very creative and very inspiring.”
The campaign includes large in-store displays, booklets with recipes and cooking tips, and coupons. It’s also being promoted in IGA’s flyer and Quebec magazine 7 jours.
Marchand chose recipes from a catalogue of Unilever recipes, and added her own cooking tips, such as adding colour to a salad with pomegranate. “The recipes are in season and inspire [Marchand] and we think they are going to inspire Quebeckers as well,” said Prigent.
For the visuals, Bob used a blackboard motif, which is “less corporate and more engaging,” said Prigent. “I like the splash of colours on the blackboard. If you put [an image of] a granny smith apple or a lime on a blackboard, it pops. So it looks exciting, creatively.”
The target market is moms 35-55. “She is married with kids living at home,” said Prigent. “With a busy schedule, she prefers to cook simple, easy-to-prepare dinners… but she enjoys putting her own twist on everyday meals.”
The campaign launched on May 28 and is scheduled to run for two to four weeks. A second phase of the campaign will launch in October.
