Pinnacle Foods and 47 other companies have joined forces in anti-obesity efforts, and the owner of the Birds Eye brand in the US has experienced a jump in frozen vegetable sales by taking part, according to a report by the Partnership for a Healthier America,
Parsippany, New Jersey-based Pinnacle saw a two-month sales increase for its Birds Eye frozen vegetables last year during a $2 million marketing push on the Nickelodeon channel, part of an initiative related to U.S. first lady Michelle Obamas "Let's Move!" campaign.
The company announced that its two-month jump in frozen vegetable sales spurred another advertising push. Sally Genster Robling, president of the Birds Eye unit, said the business will spend $6 million on the campaign over three years, and plans to introduce new products that were inspired by recipes children submitted through a Nickelodeon program. The Partnership "is very much focused on, 'lets deliver business results while doing the right thing,'" she said in a telephone interview.
Birds Eye turned from the finger-wagging approach of telling kids to "eat their veggies" (and guilt to moms) on its head through some innovative and not-done-before approaches -- including reaching kids directly. Whether syndicated kid-friendly content and contests, partnership with Nickelodeon's popular iCarly Show, leveraging the huge social media reach show star Jeannette McCurdy, or coupons for moms online, all were all aimed to get kids talking to other kids (and their moms) about vegetables.
