Honey Maid is an iconic American brand that has been part of families’ lives for more than 90 years. But love for the brand had faded. It was seen as old-fashioned and consumed on one occasion: making s’mores.Through interviews and research with its target audience of parents, Honey Maid saw that families in the U.S. were increasingly searching for wholesome family moments. The brand needed a campaign that could reposition it as a modern snacking brand for today’s families, tying into Honey Maid’s history of creating wholesome products with real ingredients. (This insight piece has been provided by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) it is part of its recently published Multicultural Marketing and Diversity Brief).
This insight was the key driver behind the campaign’s big idea. Honey Maid recognized that the families who enjoy its products have changed, but the wholesome connections that make up a family have not. This mirrored how Honey Maid had expanded its product offerings over the years while keeping its wholesome ingredients.
The #ThisIsWholesome campaign launched in March 2014 with TV commercials celebrating the diversity of the modern family. The ads featured real-life parents from different backgrounds — including gay dads, multicultural families, and single parents. The commercials were supported with longer, documentary-style digital films that gave consumers the opportunity to learn more about the featured families. Engagement was driven by banner advertising, PR outreach, and a social activation that asked people to share photos of their own families.
The campaign did not gain everyone’s approval. Honey Maid was attacked on social media and boycotted by groups like “One Million Moms.” Instead of backing down,though, the brand released a public response that turned all of the negative comments into something positive: video of the creation of a paper sculpture made of the negative comments, forming the word “love.”
Results
• Meeting an objective to ignite conversation and engagement around Honey Maid, Google searches for the brand rose 400 percent during the campaign.
• Honey Maid brand mentions across social media during the campaign launch were 462 percent greater than mention volume in all of Q4 2013 (37,100 mentions versus 6,600 mentions.)
• The campaign earned more than 361,000 earned media impressions, including features on Buzzfeed and Good Morning America. In total, 700 media outlets covered the story.
• The campaign drove penetration growth among Millennial households, a segment where the overall crackers category had seen declines.
• Purchase intent increased 9 percent among consumers exposed to the advertising.
• The campaign delivered an advertising contribution of 13 percent to sales for base Honey Maid products, more than double campaign goals.
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