Global Brand Marketing

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BRAND AUDIT

PROJECT GUIDELINE

Southwest Airline

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY………………………………………………………………………………

A. Purpose of the Report……………………………………………………………………

B. Brand…………………………………………………………………………………….

I. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………

A. Brief History and Background ………………………………………………………….

II. Marketing Mix ………………………………………………………………………………..

A. Product ………………………………………………………………………….

B. Price…………………………………………………………………………….………..

C. Promotion ………………………………………………………………………………

D. Place………………………………………………………………………………..……..

III. COMMUNICATION ………………………………………………………………………..

A. Website ………………………………………………………………………………….

B. Other Forms of Communication ………………………………………………………….

IV. BRAND INVENTORY ……………………………………….………………..

A. Brand Attributes ………………………………………………………………….

B. Brand Portfolio……………………………………………………………………………

C. Brand Line Extensions – Inventory ………………..…………………………… …

V. BRAND EXPLORATORY

A. Customer Knowledge…………………………………………………………..………..

B. Mental Map Graph……………………………………………………………………….

C. Sources of Brand Equity ………………………………………………………..

D. Marketing Activities (Endorsements and other ) …………………………….….…….

E. Points of Parity and Points of Difference ………………………………………

VI. CBBE PYRAMID ………………………………………………………………………….

A. Customer Brand Resonance………………………………………………………….…..

B. Customer Judgments…………………………………………………………..………….

C. Customer Feelings…………………………………………………………………………

D. Brand Performance……………………………………………………………………….

E. Brand Imagery ………………………………………………………………………….

F. Salience ………………………………………………………………………….

VII. BRAND ANALYSIS………………………………………………………………………..

A. Core Competencies and Sustainable Competitive Advantages………………………………

B. SWOT Analysis ………………………………………………………………………….

a. Strengths……………………………………………………………………………

b. Weaknesses…………………………………………………………………………

c. Opportunities……………………………………………………………………….

d. Threats………………………………………………………………………………

C. Long Term Brand Value – Brand Mantra .……………………………………………….….

VIII. Competition ………………………………………………………………………………….

IX. Recommendations…………………………………………………………………………..

X. REFERENCES………………….……………………………………………………………

LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………..……………………………..

APPENDIX ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Table of Contents

I. Brand Brief

i. Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………3

ii. Company History…………………………………………………………………………….4

iii. Company Details……………………………………………………………………………..5

iv. Product Related Attributes………………………………………………………………6

II. Brands and Businesses

i. Complete Brand Portfolio………………………………………………………………..7

ii. Campbell’s Soup Company………………………………………………………………8

i. Portfolio…………………………………………………………………………….8

ii. Product Line Information…………………………………………………..8

III. Communication, Pricing, Distribution

i. Communications……………………………………………………………………………13

ii. Pricing.………………………………………………………………………………………….14

iii. Distribution………………………………………………………………………………….15

IV. Brand Exploratory

i. Customer Knowledge…………………………………………………………………….16

ii. Sources of Brand Equity………………………………………………………………..17

iii. Sports & Culture……………………………………………………………………………18

iv. Endorsements…………………………………………………………………….…………19

v. Philanthropy………………………………………………………………….………..……19

vi. Competition………………………………………………………….…………………..…..21

i. POP vs. POD……………………………………………………………………..22

V. Customer Based Brand Equity

i. CBBE Pyramid……………………………………………………………………………….22

ii. CBBE Exploratory………………………………………………………………………….23

VI. Recommendations

i. Recommendation #1- Respond to Cultural Changes……………………….24

ii. Recommendation #2- Canned Vegetable Line…………………………………25

iii. Recommendation #3- Cookbook Line………………………………………….…25

iv. Recommendation #4- Increase Advertising…………………………………….26

VII. References………………………………………………………………………………………………..28

Executive Summary

Purpose of the Report- To conduct a brand audit on an iconic American brand by examining its brand portfolio and exploring consumer perceptions of the company.

A 140 year old Company, Campbell’s Soup Company, has played a role in American history, American families and American meals. This brand dominates the soup market in market share and sales. The equity of the brand can be found through the company’s product lines, philanthropic activities and its dedication to nourishing lives everywhere.

For the past 140 Years Campbell’s Soup Company has been in business. In 1869 Joseph Campbell, who was working as a fruit merchant, teamed up with a gentleman named Abraham Anderson, an icebox manufacturer. These two men in Camden, New Jersey, started what they called the Joseph A. Campbell Preserve Company. Not unlike the current product offerings of Campbell’s, the Campbell Preserve Company produced: jellies, soups, condiments, mined meats and canned tomatoes (Campbell’s, 2009).

Twenty-eight years later, a man by the name of Arthur Dorrance was the general manager of Campbell’s. He hired his nephew, Dr. John T. Dorrance, who was a trained chemist. Dr. Dorrance not only made his mark on Campbell’s, but on history with his invention of ‘condensed soup’. This invention of his proved to be ideal. By eliminating the water in the soups, Campbell’s was in an advantageous situation to save money on packaging costs, shipping costs and storage costs. The condensed version was also cheaper for consumers to buy. Originally a can cost the customer around 30 cents, but with the invention of condensed soup, the can was a mere 10 cents. In an uncertain economic climate during the Great Depression, this made Campbell’s a very attractive brand, and soup sales soared.

In 1900, Campbell’s won a gold medal at the Paris Expositions. This gold medal is still featured on the cans today. Campbell’s acquired Franco-American Food Company in 1915. In 1922, Campbell’s officially made ‘Soup’ part of its corporate name (Campbell’s, 2009).

The Campbell’s soup can has become an icon of American history, art and pop culture. In 1898 a Campbell’s executive attended a Cornell University vs. University of Pennsylvania football game. Struck by the red and white colors on the jerseys, the executive went back to work and convinced Campbell’s to adopt the red and white color scheme on their cans. The cans haven’t changed since (Campbell’s, 2009).

There are very few companies that have been able to prosper for as long as Campbell’s Soup Company. This brand has certainly passed the test of time.

Company Details

Campbell’s Soup Company is a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange and is represented by the ticker symbol CPB. Campbell’s employs 19,400 people and fiscal year 2008 had sales of almost 8 billion dollars. Campbell’s is ranked #309 in Fortune 500 and is part of the S&P 500 (Hoovers, 2009).

“Together we will build the world’s most extraordinary food company by nourishing people’s lives everywhere, every day” is Campbell’s mission. Up until 1995, Campbell’s did not have a mission statement in the traditional sense. Campbell’s prided itself on listening to the consumer and providing solutions to consumers’ wants and needs (Campbell’s, 2009). By having a publicly traded company Campbell’s has allowed its consumers and shareholders to have an input. This has been an integral part of Campbell’s 140 years of success. By being a public company Campbell’s must be aware and responsive to the dynamic needs of the consumer and the fluctuations of the market to survive.

Product Related Attributes

Campbell’s has prided itself as a family brand. Advertisements and marketing campaigns have been designed specifically to invoke feelings of family and home. In 1904, Campbell’s introduced the “Campbell’s Kids”. These kids were the face of Campbell’s up until the 1940’s. Collector’s items were made of the ‘kids’ (Campbell’s, 2009). The Campbell’s Kids are not the only children Campbell’s supports.

One of the biggest product related attributes for Campbell’s is their “Labels for Education” program. For “more than 30 years, Labels for Education has been awarding free educational equipment to schools in exchange for proofs of purchase from the Campbell family of brands” (Labels for Education, 2009). Consumers simply cut the UPC’s off of the Campbell’s brand products they are already buying and submit the earned points for educational supplies for their schools. Consumers can sign their own school up to be the beneficiaries of the education points they themselves have earned. Campbell’s is providing school equipment to over 80,000 schools and has provided over $100 million dollars to American schools to date (Labels for Education, 2009). This program reinforces the ‘family’ orientated nature of the company and “families and members of the community work together for a common goal” (Labels for Education, 2009).

Along with Campbell’s extensive product line of soups, broths, and meals, Campbell’s also offers their brand as a collectible. The Campbell’s logo and bright red color can be found on items from beach towels to Christmas ornaments. Campbell’s products are best sellers, proving that the brand is extremely powerful.

Campbell’s is a multi-billion dollar corporation that is composed of several companies that Campbell’s has acquired or created over the past 140 years. Campbell’s products can be found in over 120 countries world-wide. Figure 1.0 shows the company breakdown from Campbell’s United States (Campbell’s, 2009).

Campbell’s Soup Company is the foundation of Campbell’s. It not only is the oldest company under the Campbell’s umbrella, it is the company that most consumers think of when they hear the word ‘Campbell’s’. Figure 2.0 depicts the brand portfolio for ‘Campbell’s Soup Company’.

The Campbell’s Soup Company is comprised of 10 major ‘lines’ of products. Each line is inspired by the original condensed soup line, but each targets a different consumer base. This enables Campbell’s Soup Company to effectively target and promote products to the consumer despite the numerous product varieties and contributes significantly to their brand equity.

Campbell’s Condensed Soups- With 154 varieties this is by far the most extensive ‘line’ Campbell’s manages. This line includes all flavors included in such soup lines as the Lower Sodium, Select Harvest, Chunky, Microwaveable and Kid’s soups. The condensed soup line offers 63 additional flavors. Products can be used as is, or they can be additions to recipes. With such a robust selection of flavors, there is a soup for everyone in the family. This line is suited to all types of consumers. Condensed soups are also products of convenience. Initially, Campbell’s targeted working mothers since they more than any other consumer were strapped for time and needed a way to provide quick and healthy meals for their children (Elliot, 2009). Campbell’s saw great success in the Great Depression due to the fact that when times get tight family income goes first to the children. With a very affordable price point, condensed soup goes a long way and provides a cheap nutritional meal. The children of the depression became the initial consumer base for condensed soups and that has since expanded today to the families of this generation. Easily crossing generations, Campbell’s soups have maintained a strong market presence for more than a century.

Kid’s Soups- Campbell’s offers 12 varieties of children’s soups. The cans are more brightly colored than the ‘traditional’ cans drawing attention to them. Campbell’s marketing strategy for this line has been successful. Products that are aimed at children and mothers have stayed the course through tough economic times. There are two objectives from marketers when it comes to attracting kids to their products. The company must reach directly to the children or reaching both the child and mother (Elliot, 2009). Campbell’s is doing just this. When ‘talking’ directly to the children they are using popular cartoon characters such as Dora the Explorer, Disney Princesses, Cars (Cartoon Movie), and Shrek featured on the front of the cans (Campbell’s ,2009). To maintain attractiveness to mothers the cans are clearly labeled with health claims such as ‘made with whole grains’, ‘low sodium’, and ‘MSG free’.

Chunky Soups and Chili’s- This line of hearty soups have been marketed towards the consumer who wants a more substantial of filling soup. Most promotions target men using famous football players as endorsers.

Lower Sodium Soups- This line of soups is Campbell’s response to the ever growing health concerns for a large portion of the population who have high blood pressure and those who are concerned about their sodium intake. This is particularly strategic when marketing towards the baby boomer generation who grew up on Campbell’s and is still very much a huge consumer base for the company. This group however may have health concerns that make the traditional or regular condensed soup an unhealthy choice for them. With 10 varieties, including the most popular varieties, Campbell’s offers its consumers both the flavor they love with lower sodium levels.

Microwavable Soups- This line is for the person on the go. Easy to transport, fits in most car cup holders and comes in 17 flavors, the microwaveable soup from Campbell’s provides an extremely convenient product. Not only is this product convenient, it is in keeping with Campbell’s low price point making this an excellent choice for work lunches. With families cutting down on ‘restaurant’ lunches and dinners this product provides an affordable and healthy alternative to eating out when on the go.

SpaghettiOs- Advertised to both children and parents, SpaghettiOs provide a full serving of vegetables, grains and six essential vitamins in each serving. This product provides a quick, healthy and affordable lunch or dinner option for families. This is in keeping with Campbell’s family emphasis and is made in 10 varieties.

Select Harvest Soups- This line of soups has been designed for the consumer who wants an all natural soup. With 24 varieties this line is not only well diversified, but lacks unpopular ingredients such as MSG and artificial flavors and colors. With the health food craze that has captivated the nation, Campbell’s has certainly offered a line of soups that will satisfy even the most critical shopper. Target towards the health conscious consumer, Select Harvest Soups continue to be healthy and affordable.

Gravies- Campbell’s offers a line of gravies that come in 13 different varieties. From cream based gravies to broth based gravies, Campbell’s has created a product that is a quick and easy solution to the ever popular mashed potato and meat dinner. Targeted towards the family ‘chef’, the gravy line is touted as the finishing touch to your perfect dinner.

Tomato Juice- Comes in both concentrate and regular tomato juice. Unlike Campbell’s other brand V8, this product is simply made from vine-ripened tomatoes whereas V8 is a vegetable blend of many different types. The tomato juice is marketed towards the consumer who is health conscious and looking for a high source of anti-oxidants. Much like the Select Harvest Soups, the Tomato Juice comes in lower sodium, regular, healthy request and organic. The 4 varieties provide a juice source for the avid tomato juice drinker and anyone trying to find a way to get more vegetables into their daily diets.

Supper Bakes- Supper bakes are dinner kits that require very little preparation time and are perfect for the busy American family. The kits come in 8 different varieties. Campbell’s markets the product as a “wholesome delicious meal in minutes” (Campbell’s, 2009). Using ingredients similar to their soup line they continue to foster popular flavors of condensed soup in new creative ways, but staying true to the convenience and healthy attributes that are consistent across all product offerings.

Of these 10 product offerings, Campbell’s has not only kept competition at a distance, they have continually developed the brand as a family brand that provides easy, convenient and nutritional products for today’s busy families. The brand offers a wide variety of products. However, through the diverse offering by Campbell’s they have been able to not only weather tough economic times, but they have developed a brand portfolio that really addresses most consumers in the market. The product line extensions that Campbell’s has made have been well thought out, and have been complementary to the existing product line. This demonstrates Campbell’s skills, and brand equity.

Communications, Pricing and Distribution

Communications

The Campbell’s brand image has been maintained by their family centered focus. Advertisements focus on the brand’s convenience, health related properties, and wholesome family nature. From the early advertisements that appeared over 100 years ago, to the ads that run today, Campbell’s has shown how their brand is useful and a household need. Advertisements can be found on television, magazines, radio and newspapers.

In 1906 Campbell’s started the Campbell’s Kids advertising campaign. The kids were the work of an illustrator who was popular at the time. The kids were seen in both newspapers and magazines, and soon became a pop culture phenomenon. Campbell’s created a myriad of promotional products with the Kids: postcards, lapel buttons, and dolls. The Kids were seen on commercials during Lassie (TV Acres, 2009). The Kids continued the 1930’s slogan “M’m! M’m! Good!”. This is still well known today, and contributes significantly to the brand value of Campbell’s. The Kids campaign stayed strong until the early 1950’s. In the early 1990’s the Campbell’s Kids made their second debut when they rapped about the qualities of Campbell’s soups (Foltz, 1990). The kids have also changed with time from their initial angelic look, to hippie kids, to a slimmer, healthy shaped child. Campbell’s has also diversified the Kids as well accounting for other ethnicities. In the late 1990’s, Campbell’s ran its “first umbrella TV ads…and touted as the largest-ever outlay on a single campaign” to help boost sales (Pollack, 1998).

On each add that is in print, the iconic Campbell’s logo and red and white can are present. As one of the most recognizable brands world-wide, Campbell’s takes the time to continually reinforce the brand and the brand image in every ad. This has certainly proven successful for Campbell’s and results show a very high brand recognition. Campbell’s also reaches out to its consumers to hear what they have to say and think.

Recently Campbell’s has reached out to consumers via their website. With a new portal, Ideas for Innovations, Campbell’s is soliciting innovative ideas from its consumer base. By joining forces with outside sources Campbell’s is open to great ideas despite whether they originate inside or outside of the company (Drug Week, 2009).

Pricing

Campbell’s has maintained extremely affordable price points for all product offerings. The price points do not isolate any portion of the consumer market making their products useful and accessible to everyone. Most 10oz cans can be purchased for under $1.50 a can with most other soups costing consumers $3.00 or under in most areas. Campbell’s is only slightly more expensive that competitors giving the notion that the consumer is getting more when they buy Campbell’s. “Today, Campbell’s soup remains one of the best-known and least expensive meal items in the grocery stores. Unlike many other products, it faces little threat from cheaper, private-label brands” (Jargon, 2009). Campbell’s is priced very well for any economic time. Recent reports indicate a 15% drop from a year earlier are indicative of grocery stores not carrying as much inventory at one time. Campbell’s is moving product, but due to grocery store inventory reductions has tried to be creative to move more products. They have developed new flavors such as Braised Beef with Shallots that echo restaurant type flavors (Jargon, 2009).

Distribution

Campbell’s relies on grocery stores and convenience stores to distribute its products to consumers. With the recent economic downturn, Campbell’s has been finding ways to stand apart from the competition. In the fall of 2008 despite a crumbling economy, Campbell’s launched 44 new flavors in their Select Harvest Soup line. Grocery stores “are ‘cleaning up the clutter’ by cutting back on the number of branded products in its average store by roughly 30%. Brands that are truly great will stay” (Lewis, 2009). Campbell’s ‘Ideas for Innovation’ is just one way Campbell’s is trying to find out what the consumer is thinking and then applying those findings to maintaining a productive relationship with grocery store distributors nationwide.

Brand Exploratory

Customer Knowledge

Campbell’s has been very successful in recognizing how strong the Campbell’s name, slogan and logo truly are. Campbell’s is the world’s leader in soup manufacturing. Campbell’s interviews “50,000 consumers a year, visiting homes to peek inside cabinets and refrigerators. Campbell’s researchers also go grocery shopping with consumers and attend dinner parties to understand how different people cook” (Jargon, 2009). Customers utilize the product in many different ways. They use the soup for casseroles and other recipes. Consumers also consume the product as is; a hot bowl of soup. Customer brand associations for Campbell’s can be seen in Figure 3.0.

If we observe the brand mantra “Nourishing People’s lives, Everywhere, Everyday”, we can see that some of the same concepts appear on the mental map (Campbell’s 2009). Their ‘Labels for Education’ and Breast Cancer Research Contributions show how Campbell’s is truly nourishing more than just stomachs. The company mantra is not just something that Campbell’s says, but it is something they act on globally. This contributes significantly to the brand’s equity.

Sources of Brand Equity

The Campbell’s brand is almost synonymous with family. The brand enjoys high levels of brand recognition. The red and white can is a key element to the brand equity. Cans are featured in advertisements and its unchanging appearance contribute significantly to the iconic and historic nature of the brand. Consumers are taken back to their childhoods when they see an ad or a can in their pantry. The gold medallion of excellence that was awarded to Campbell’s 110 years ago is still on the label. The company has invested millions of dollars in advertising that highlights the ‘family’ notion of the brand. Family recipes that call for Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup are part of most American recipe books. The brand means: home, family, warmth and health. Campbell’s supports schools, breast cancer and many other good causes. Their philanthropy has contributed greatly to their brand equity.

This family oriented brand is a staple of the American pantry. We all recall the Christmas commercial of the snowman that comes inside and has a bowl of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup and melts into the All-American-Boy. Campbell’s slogan of “M’m! M’m! Good!” is catchy and has worked with all products they have ever released. Through all of these actions Campbell’s has created great brand equity that has passed the tests of time.

In the United States 90% of households purchase Campbell’s soup. Campbell’s has shown that their product is versatile as well. Cooking with soup is very popular and it is estimated that one in ten household dinners are made with Campbell’s soup (Campbell’s, 2009). American households are estimated to have eleven cans of Campbell’s soup in their pantries at any given time. Campbell’s soup is also one of the top 10 items sold at grocery stores. When it comes to market share Campbell’s dominates. The brand has 69% share of the wet soup market and has sales over 3 billion cans of soup a year. Stats of this nature emphasize the extent of Campbell’s brand equity.

Sports and Culture

Campbell’s is involved in both cultural and sports activities in the United States. In their founding town of Camden, New Jersey, Campbell’s Soup Company has the naming rights to the Camden Riversharks Stadium (Entertainment Newsweekly, 2009). Campbell’s is also one of the sponsors for the Harlem Globetrotters “Spinning the Globe” World Tour. Their support of both the Riversharks (Baseball Team) and the Globetrotters continue to target the family consumer group.

Campbell’s has significantly impact American culture. The Campbell’s kids are now collectibles that are worth a fair sum of money. Probably the most influential cultural piece that features Campbell’s is the work of world renowned artist Andy Warhol. His work draws world eyes on an American iconic brand. In a tribute to Andy Warhol, Campbell’s soup introduced limited edition Andy Warhol soup cans. This project created a fun, whimsical can that paid homage not only to a great artist, but also generated buzz around a strong brand. This marketing strategy showed the depth of Campbell’s brand in American culture. Not only are the images produced by Warhol extremely popular, but Campbell’s embraced what Warhol had created and also paid a tribute to him through their fun and exciting Warhol cans.

Endorsements

Over the years Campbell’s has had many celebrities, cartoon characters, athletes and even presidents endorse their products. The power behind these endorsements show how wide reaching this brand really is, and how Campbell’s is truly the brand for anyone and everyone. The brand has seen endorsements from a wide array of NFL football players and their mothers who are trying to give their sons a good meal before the big game.

Philanthropy

Campbell’s has donated over $100 million dollars to American schools. This is an impressive action by any company. Clearly investing in the future of our country and the future workforce, Campbell’s Labels for Education is a fantastic philanthropic program. Reaching over 80,000 schools and countless students, this program empowers students to help their own schools, but also encourages consumers to purchase products from the Campbell’s brand portfolio. If one recalls Campbell’s brand mantra, “Nourishing People’s lives, Everywhere, Everyday”, it is clear that their philanthropic activities are inline with their mantra. This signifies a company that is not only doing great deeds, but one that is being true to the company’s culture as well.

Another philanthropic activity that Campbell’s has invested in is Breast Cancer Awareness. The month of October is breast cancer awareness month, and starting in 2007 Campbell’s produced 14 million cans of their most popular selling soups with the breast cancer pink on the can instead of the iconic red and white. Nationwide, in October, grocery stores stock pink cans drawing attention to Campbell’s products on the shelves, but also encouraging consumers to support a good cause. Again Campbell’s is investing in truly ‘nourishing’ peoples lives.

Campbell’s is also investing in educating children on healthy eating habits. With obesity on the rise in the US, Campbell’s is making a huge effort by going into schools and conducting “Wellness Workshops”. These workshops, starting this year, show children how to prepare and eat healthy foods while making it a fun and enjoyable activity. Cooking show celebrities have gotten involved and show up at schools to do interactive cooking demonstrations. Campbell’s VP Joe Kiely states that “kid’s love Campbell’s products, and our expanded portfolio of wellness soups and snacks is enabling schools to provide children with their favorite, nourishing foods away from home…through this initiative we are taking our commitment to childhood nutrition one step further”(Pediatrics Week, 2009).

A relatively unknown fact about Campbell’s is that they grow their own tomatoes. One of their best sellers is Campbell’s Tomato Soup. Not using other avenues to obtain produce, Campbell’s is able to closely monitor and control the tomatoes that go into their products. Campbell’s has a specially cultivated seed they have used for their tomatos for over 100 years. This year Campbell’s is making its specialty seeds available to the public. Consumer can submit UPC’s to redeem their free Campbell’s Tomato Soup Seeds. When consumers request their seeds, Campbell’s donates seeds to communities and schools across the nation. Campbell’s committment to the National FFA Organization shows their dedication to developing future leaders in agricultural education (Newsday, 2009).

Competition

Campbell’s biggest competitor is Progresso Soups owned by General Mills. Progresso Soups are different from Campbell’s in that they are marketing ‘ready to eat’ soups meaning the consumer doesn’t have to add water. Progresso Soups have a market share around 30%. With 69% of the wet-soup market and sales of over 3 billion cans a year, Campbell’s definitely dominates the market. However, recent increase in consumer awareness of natural, artificial ingredients and sodium content in canned soups has prompted a soup revolution. Both brands have offered newer healthier versions. Campbell’s Select Harvest is their response. Campbell’s has taken an aggressive stance on this through their advertising by attacking Progresso’s MSG content in their soups. This has helped Campbell’s out sell Progresso, but this ‘smear’ campaign is a new tactic for the food advertising and marketing industry.

The Customer-Based Brand Equity Pyramid

Resonance- Campbell’s enjoys an extremely loyal customer base due to its huge proliferation of the canned soup market. Most of us grew up on Campbell’s soups, so as adults we tend to purchase that what we know and are familiar with. Campbell’s evokes childhood memories, and is a main ingredient a much of American cooking. One consumer has on average 11 cans in their pantry. Campbell’s is an American tradition.

Judgments- Campbell’s is seen as an extremely affordable product that is nutritious as well. It is a product that is easy to use, quick to prepare and really hasn’t changed much over the past 140 years. Campbell’s is not seen as a gourmet product, but is seen as a family friendly product. With a consistent product offering, consumers are much more loyal.

Performance- Campbell’s product has a very long shelf like making it extremely easy for consumer to buy as much as they want without having to worry about spoilage. The brand is very consistent in its packaging, colors and sizes. Campbell’s maintains a consistent offering of popular flavors and does not try to update its classic recipes. A performance enhancement that Campbell’s made to its can was an easy open pull top, but everything else about the cans remains the same traditional look.

Feelings- Campbell’s evokes feelings of family, tradition, warmth, and comfort. The brand has over decades continued to nurture the feelings that the product evokes in its consumers. Advertising and Marketing campaigns have all emphasized these feelings in one way or another. Feelings are very powerful to consumer so when a brand is able to evoke positive/pleasant feelings they bond with the consumer more than they would other wise.

Imagery- Images that the brand evokes in consumers are those of family, friends, childhood, and mom’s cooking. The image of the red and white can have permeated American pop culture and American minds. The images that the brand elicits are a critical component to brand equity. If the images are positive that provides a better return for the company. If the images are negative, the company will suffer. Campbell’s evokes such positive memories along with positive images due to its long and well established history.

Recommendations

Recommendation #1- Campbell’s has done a fantastic job listening to the consumer. The brand has progressed to have many lines and many different product offerings that are a very natural extension of the brand. Campbell’s must continue to do this. It would be recommended that the brand create a 100% organic line of soups, ethnic line of soups and make all soups MSG free. With an organic line Campbell’s would then be available in all grocery stores. For example, Whole Foods would not carry Campbell’s as is. Thus the super health conscious consumer who shops exclusively at Whole Foods would not be exposed Campbell’s products. This could expand their already dominant distribution channels.

The demographic in the United States is changing. With a more diverse population Campbell’s could incorporate some of the offerings they are currently selling overseas to the US consumer. This would enable immigrants who are already familiar with Campbell’s Asia, Campbell’s Latin America and Campbell’s Europe to continue to enjoy their favorite Campbell’s products in the United States. This would compliment the product offerings that are available in the US without Campbell’s incurring further manufacturing costs.

Recommendation #2- Campbell’s produces its own tomatoes for its soups. A very logical next step for Campbell’s would be to launch a canned tomato line. Since Campbell’s markets to the home cook, usually mom, they could provide a product that could be used for homemade sauces, stews and casseroles.

Campbell’s tomato soup is their number one seller. Campbell’s could use their strong tomato popularity to sell the canned vegetable. Since they grow their own produce, they would be able to sell their canned product for less than the competitors due to fewer costs incurred in the manufacturing process. It would be recommended that they use the traditional can and colors for the tomatoes. This will not only create immediate credibility, it will also help the canned vegetables stand out amongst the plethora of cans in the canned vegetable aisle.

Recommendation #3- Campbell’s has maintained a strong market presence due to the fact that families use Campbell’s in their recipes. For example, recipes passed down from most American grandmothers include at least one can of Campbell’s soup. Americans then buy Campbell’s to make their grandmother’s recipes. This is true for so many Americans. However, one does not come across recipes that use Campbell’s as much as one’s grandmother used Campbell’s. It would be encouraged that Campbell’s through their “Wellness Workshops” not only teach children to eat healthy, but provide or sell a children’s cookbook that would teach them how to prepare healthy foods using Campbell’s products. This way the company is grooming future consumers who will one day have purchasing power. Not only would this encourage a new generation to love Campbell’s, it could also show mom’s how to make more modern recipes with Campbell’s ingredients.

Recommendation #4- The last recommendation for Campbell’s is to expand their television and magazine advertising. Right now Campbell’s is running the Progresso smear campaign commercials where a women is sitting a table blindfolded and is describing what she is eating. When eating the Progresso soup, she is listing chemicals. When she is enjoying Campbell’s, she is listing whole grain pasta, all natural white meat chicken and so on. It is recommended that Campbell’s stop this type of advertising. It is negative and is reminiscent of political campaign commercials which most people do not care for. For a family friendly brand that has secured such high brand equity, these ads make the company look mean and vindictive towards competitors. Simply, it is not becoming of an American iconic brand.

There are not enough TV commercials either. Campbell’s should increase the number of spots they buy for TV. As a consumer, it seems that the only time one finds out what is ‘new’ from Campbell’s at the grocery store, but not before.

They should also update their commercials. During Christmas, we are all familiar with the snowman that melts into a little boy. This commercial has been running for over 20 years. It is old and the film quality is grainy. Although a classic, Campbell’s needs a clean and simple ad campaign that is family friendly and modern.

Campbell’s is very successful and has garnered such a huge percentage of the soup market that it is clear that they have made smart decisions over the past century. A very strong brand, with high levels of brand recognition, Campbell’s really is “M’m! M’m! Good!”. One of the few companies that is making money during the most recent recession, Campbell’s will again endure hard times while nourishing lives, everywhere, everyday.

References:

Campbell’s (n.d.) History. Retrieved May 12, 2009, from http://careers.campbellsoupcompany.com/History.aspx

Campbell’s Soup Company (n.d). News Wire. Retrieved May 12,2009 from http://hubpages.com/hub/CAMPBELLS-SOUP-COMPANY

Campbell’s (n.d.) History. Retrieved May 12, 2009 from http://www.campbellsoup.com.au/about/history.aspx

Campbell Soup Company. (1,  May). Hoover’s Company Records, 10287.  Retrieved May 12, 2009, from Hoover’s Company Records database. (Document ID: 168151071).

Campbell’s (n.d.) Campbell’s Kids History. Retrieved May 12, 2009 from http://www.campbellsoup.com/kids_holiday.asp

Labels for Education (n.d.) About. Retrieved May 12, 2009 from http://www.labelsforeducation.com/about.aspx

Campbell Soup Sales Fall as Stores Cut Inventory. (2009, February, 23). The New York Times. Retrieved on May 12, 2009 from http://www.nytimes.com/2009 /02/24/business/24soup.html?scp=1&sq=campbell’s%20soup&st=cse

Advertising-Dueling Brands Pick up Where Politicians Leave Off . (2008, November, 3). The New York Times. Retrieved on May 12, 2009 from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/business/media/04adco.html?scp=8&sq=campbell’s%20soup&st=cse

Stuart Elliott.  (2009, March 17). Campaigns for Challenging Times Put Children and Mothers First :[Business/Financial Desk]. New York Times (Late Edition (east Coast)),  p. B.3.  Retrieved May 12, 2009, from Banking Information Source database. (Document ID: 1661997641).

Judann Pollack.  (1998, February). Campbells lavishes biggest budget ever on new soup ads. Advertising Age, 69(6), 3, 41.  Retrieved May 12, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 26121610).

Advertising Mascots (n.d.) Campbell’s Soup Kids. Retreived on May 13, 2009 from http://www.tvacres.com/admascots_campbells.htm

Foltz, Kim. (1990, August 30). Campbell’s Kids to Utter First Words Since 1958. New York Times. Retrieved May 13, 2009 from http://www.nytimes.com/1990 /08/30/business/media-business-advertising-addenda-campbell-kids-utter-first-words-since-1958.html?n=Top/Reference/Times% 20Topics/Subjects/S/Soups

Campbell Soup Company; New Campbell Web Site Designed to Attract Innovative Ideas. (2009, April). Drug Week,1903.  Retrieved May 12, 2009, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1675389851).

Julie Jargon.  (2009, April 22). News in Depth: Food companies cook up ways to combat rare slump in sales — Campbell’s response shows how the industry is taking the downshift. The Wall Street Journal Asia,p. 14.  Retrieved May 12, 2009, from ProQuest Newsstand database. (Document ID: 1683190271).

Lewis, Helen.  (1  March). Issues, trends and challenges facing the food and drink industry – forecasts to 2014: Evolving consumer demands: Focus on simplicity. Just – Food: Issues, trends and challenges facing the food and drink,44-48.  Retrieved May 12, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1667794861).

Campbell Soup Company; Campbell Soup Company & Camden Riversharks Extend Partnership Agreement. (2009, April). Entertainment Newsweekly,66.  Retrieved May 12, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry database. (Document ID: 1678987301).

Campbell Soup Company; Campbell Soup Company Sponsors “Wellness Workshops” at Schools Throughout the U.S. to Help Educate Students about Healthy Eating. (2009, March). Pediatrics Week,40.  Retrieved May 12, 2009, from ProQuest Health and Medical Complete database. (Document ID: 1651803501).

JESSICA DAMIANO.  (2009, May 3). Campbell’s puts on a push to produce more tomatoes. Newsday  (Combined Editions),  G.14.  Retrieved May 12, 2009, from Newsday database. (Document ID: 1696312321).

Cookies

Crackers

Breakfast

Fresh Breads & Rolls

Frozen Breads

Desserts & Puff Pastry

Meals & Accompaniments

Goldfish Crackers

V-Fusion Juices

V8 100% Vegetable Juice

V8 Splash

Organic Broths

Low Sodium Broths

Chicken and Beef Stock

Organic Pasta Sauces

Heart Smart Sauces

Chunky Garden Sauces

Traditional Sauces

Figure 2.0

Salsas

Picante Sauce

Queso

Organic Salsa

Figure 1.0

Complete

Brand Portfolio

Condensed Soups

154 Total Varieties

Chunky Soups & Chili’s

2

8 Varieties

Microwavable Soups

17 Varieties

Kid’s Soup

12 Varieties

Tomato Juice

4 Varieties

SpaghettiOs

10 Varieties

Gravies

13 Varieties

Lower Sodium Soups

10 Varieties

Supper Bakes

8 Varieties

Select Harvest Soups

24 Varieties

Figure 2.0
Brand Portfolio

Negative

Families

Mothers

Children

No Class Limits

Socially Responsible

Values Education

Wholesome

Family Oriented

Icon/Historic

A company for Everyone

Not Gourmet

Cheaper Competitors

MSG in some soups

Fresh

Comforting

Wholesome

Hearty

Taste

People

Image

Figure 3.0

Mental Map

History and

Tradition

Inexpensive

Easy Open Cans

154 Varieties

Bigger Grocery Store Displays

Made with high quality ingredients

Eliminating MSG from products

Smaller cans ‘condescended soup’=greener production

Points of Difference (POD)

Points of Parity (POP)

Figure 4.0

POP vs. POD

Figure 5.0

CBBE Pyramid

Comforting
Tradition

Resonance

Salience

Performance

Feelings

Judgments

Imagery

Doesn’t Spoil

Consistent

Easy to Use

Family

Friends

Childhood/Children

Mom’s Cooking

Red and White Cans

Extremely High Brand Recognition regardless of consumer purchase behavior

Traditional Product

Affordable

Easy

Unchanging

High Customer Loyalty

Found in 90% of Homes

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