CHUNKY Marketing
BY: Caleb Lothian
Soup, a warm liquid like substance that is usually associated with comfort, warmth, and relaxation. This is the commonly known rationale when distinguishing whether or not an individual wants soup. When you’re cold what is a great, quick, and easy snack to have? Soup. When all you want to do is curl up on the couch on a cool fall day and feel comfortable, what do you desire? Soup. But, how would a soup company broaden their market and reach out to individuals who define soup as a stoic and wimpy food choice? Campbell’s Soup Company found the answer, just toss “CHUNKY” on the label.
“CHUNKY” soup products were only a piece to the puzzle. The most important element of a successful product is its promotion and advertising. How would Campbell’s promote this product in order to stimulate sales? In 1997, Campbell’s soup signed a contract that would bring their company to new heights. They incorporated the NFL and its players into their advertisements and became an official sponsor of the NFL. A sponsorship with the NFL means a long time deal, this allowed Campbell’s to create a marketing plan. Known as, “a road map for the marketing actions of an organization for a specified future time period, such as one year or five years” (pg. 32, Twelfth Edition Marketing). The promoters were not just any average player from the NFL, they were and are big name guys like Michael Vick, Clay Mathews, and many more. So, what does this connection do for Campbell’s soup? This sponsorship places Campbell’s Chunky soup in the same category as wings, beer, and chips n’ dip. Seeing a commercial of Chunky soup while watching football stimulates your mind and creates a desire for that hearty soup. Supporters of the NFL who see these commercials are now more apt to go out and buy Campbell’s Chunky soup due to the fact that their favorite players have “approved”. Let’s take a look at one of the many commercials that have been aired on national television starring an NFL great, their mother, and the filling, Chunky Campbell’s Soup.
This video was one of many that incorporated stars such as Clay Matthews and his mother to promote Chunky soup through a clever marketing tactic known as the “Mama’s Boys” campaign.
At the beginning of the video, we see Clay Matthews sitting in his stall preparing for a big game. All of a sudden his mom opens a hidden door located in the back of his stall and tells Clay to come into her “mom cave”. Here we find a clever replacement of words: Campbell’s and the NFL take what is commonly known as a man cave and change it around to create a stronger connection for mothers by including a mom cave. This is performed in order to increase the fortitude and network of the “Mama’s Boys” campaign.
As the video continues, Clay’s mother sits him down and hands him a bowl of Campbell’s NEW Chunky Cheeseburger soup. This scene promotes the wide variety of Chunky flavors. This shows that Campbell’s is utilizing product line extension; “an incremental improvement of an existing product line the company already sells” (pg. 253, Twelfth Edition Marketing). The addition of Chunky soup to Campbell’s existing soup line contains potential benefits but at the same time has the danger of an increase in advertising and production costs with the risk of Chunky soup and the Mama’s Boys campaign being a bust. However, having a wide variety of flavors appeals to a broader market and a broader market yields greater sales and higher profits.
Campbell’s does an excellent job of incorporating the Campbell’s can/logo throughout the progression of the video. As the camera scans the room and Clay’s mother hands him the soup, there is a shelf in the background that is full of not only Chunky soup products but other Campbell’s soups as well. It can be argued that Campbell’s is using a subliminal message due to the fact that the soup on the shelf may have sent you a message without your knowledge of it, but your subconscious may have picked up on it. That may be a stretch, but it could vary from viewer to viewer.
One of the most significant parts of the commercial is at the very end when the voice of Campbell’s soup states, “Campbell’s Chunky Soup, it fills you up right.” This is important because it promotes that not only is their Chunky soup good but it’s an adequate and complete meal. If it can prepare an NFL player for a big game then it can prepare and provide any consumer with a tasteful and filling feeling. As I have stated earlier, I feel as if soup, is usually known to be a prelude to the actual course when discussing meals. Campbell’s is advocating that all you need is a can of their Chunky soup in order for a quick and filling fix.
Campbell’s doesn’t just have the players promoting the product, they also have created a program called “CLINK FOR CANS”.
“Clink for Cans” is a clever and benevolent promotion that satisfies those in need while at the same time publicizing a Campbell’s soup product. The efforts of Clink for Cans is to encourage consumers to vote for their favorite football team, and the winning team is rewarded with the ability to donate cans of Campbell’s soup to a charity of their choice. Campbell’s Soup is doing a good deed but also playing with the heart-strings of the consumers to gain market share. Overall, Campbell’s has done an excellent job in terms of marketing to label themselves as a powerhouse in the soup industry.
