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Johnsonville Sausage: "Welcome to Johnsonville, Wisconsin"

……………………………………………

GOLD OGILVY WINNER: CROSS-PLATFORM

ADVERTISER: Johnsonville Sausage

AGENCY: Cramer-Krasselt

RESEARCH: U-30 Group

…………………………………................

MARKETING CHALLENGE

Canadians eat almost 100 million pounds of sausage per year—an impressive amount for a country of just 36 million people1 —yet Johnsonville Sausage wasn't gaining traction in Canada. The brand was a perennial number 5 in market share, and after 10 years of flat sales in the Canadian sausage market, Johnsonville needed to find a way to connect with shoppers.

METHODOLOGY

The researchers surveyed 600 Canadian primary grocery shoppers ages 21 to 64 years who cooked dinner three times a week, and who were at least open to buying sausage: How often are they cooking, and why? Who is doing the shopping, and who is doing the preparation? What kinds of meats do they prefer to buy and cook, and for what occasions? What is their relative awareness of Johnsonville? This research revealed that Canadians were shopping for sausage in the same way they shopped for other meats—as commodity ingredients. Within that framework, "buying local" made perfect sense: Shoppers favored the familiar local brand, ideally on sale.

Next came 32 in-depth research engagements with primary shoppers and cooks. Participants completed pre-interview journal exercises exploring meal patterns, family dynamics, and emotional connections. During in-home interviews, participants revealed attitudes about foods, cooking and shopping habits, and recipe discovery. At a store visit they talked through a sausage purchase. Recipes were a recurring topic. Immersed in food culture through television shows, cookbooks, Facebook and YouTube videos, these cooks were always on the hunt for the best, most authentic recipes from all over the planet.

Lightbulb: Johnsonville needed to market more like a recipe. For Canadians, the best recipes come with unique stories—some grounded in tradition, some from famous cooks, and some using exotic or hard-to-find ingredients. Great authentic recipes come from special places.

CREATIVE EXECUTION AND RESULTS       

Johnsonville, WI was that special place, a town with a population of 80 people, built on 75 years of sausage heritage. Its story became the centerpiece of a national cross-platform campaign, brought to life where Canadian cooks live, recipe hunt, and shop. 

As an outsider, Johnsonville needed to build credibility among Canadian cooks, inserting itself into the local cooking culture. A redesigned website offered the opportunity to learn more about the town, the company and its products, and to share recipe inspiration. Television spots anchored in National Hockey League coverage featured real Johnsonville residents and company employees, filmed on location in the town with music provided by a local Wisconsin band. Print advertisements were placed in trusted Canadian food publications. Social-media posts fostered intimacy and provided recipe inspiration. There were in-store and event tastings.

A partnership with celebrity Chef Mark McEwan, a judge on the "Chopped Canada" television series, introduced Johnsonville as an authentic sausage brand, as did videos on the Johnsonville Canada YouTube channel. Food Network hosted a user-generated recipe contest judged by Chef Mark, and the network cross-promoted the contest via online video and display advertisements. Chef Mark also did a PR media tour of popular morning television shows across Canada with province-specific recipe demonstrations.

Because of the campaign, Johnsonville won the confidence of cooks across Canada, becoming the national share leader in Canada's sausage market by the first quarter 2016. The business grew in all regions in both dollars (up 15 percent) and units sold (up 19 percent). The brand also gained distribution in Quebec for the first time and achieved national distribution of ready-to-eat products in Walmart stores.

Return to other winners.


1. Nielsen, 2015.↩

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