Campbell Joins Go Red for Women
Campbell Soup Co. has become a sponsor of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, with plans to raise $1.5 million for the awareness campaign that’s now entering its third year.
Campbell signed a three-year deal to support Go Red for Women, whose events and promotions tout heart-disease prevention for women.
The AHA stages national and local events each February, supported by promotions from about a dozen brand partners, led by national sponsors Macy’s and Pfizer (PROMO, February 2005).
Two of Campbell’s brands, Healthy Request soup and V8 juice, become Go Red promotional partners. The tie-in supports product revamps for each brand: Healthy Request rolled out 8 new and 9 revised recipes in August, and last month a lower-sodium version of flagship V8 100% vegetable juice hit shelves nationally.
Campbell plans to donate a portion of sales from select products to the AHA, and will produce fashion items to sell or auction off to support the non-profit. Campbell plans national promotions as well as retailer-specific initiatives in-store. The company expects to raise at least $350,000 in its first year, $250,000 of that via Healthy Request and $100,000 via V8.
AHA’s other packaged goods sponsor, Kellogg Co., continues its own Go Red fashion promotion via Smart Start cereal: Women mail in two proofs of purchase and a $15 donation to get a “Do More” silver-plated bracelet with a Red Dress charm, or a $5 donation for the just the charm, the second in a series that adds a new design each year.
This is Campbell’s first multi-brand, long-term tie-in with a health-and-wellness non-profit. (Campbell’s Chunky soup continues its long-running support of America’s Second Harvest in a sponsorship handled by the brand, not by Campbell’s Center for Nutrition & Wellness.) Last month, Campbell put pink labels on 7 million cans of red & white soups for Kroger Co.’s own marketing push for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Kroger doubled its usual order, but Campbell will watch November and December sales to see whether the pink can push boosted consumption or merely pantry-loading. Campbell may do similar pink can flights for other retailers throughout 2007.
Go Red for Women activities are coordinated by Campbell’s 10-year-old Center for Nutrition & Wellness. That division has stepped up its work under CEO Doug Conant, who has set wellness as one of Campbell’s three core strategies (along with convenience and quality).
Campbell’s sales topped $7.3 billion for the fiscal year ended July 30; sales were up 4%, mostly on the strength of price and sales allowances. Sales for its U.S. Soup, Sauces and Beverages division rose 5% to $3.3 billion for the year, with soup sales up 4%, per Campbell.
