• December 9, 2013

Chobani has announced that it will advertise during the Super Bowl for the first time in 2014.

Chobani's Bowl spot will be the first look at a new integrated campaign created by its AOR, Droga5, in collaboration with its PR agency, Weber Shandwick.

"The ad and activation surrounding it will serve as the unveiling and articulation of our brand platform and point of view,”  said Peter McGuinness, Chobani’s chief marketing and brand officer, in an announcement. 

Chobani rocketed to become the U.S. Greek yogurt leader, growing to sales of over $1 billion in just five years, but the company says that only about a third of Americans are familiar with its brand. 

McGuiness, hired as Chobani's first CMO four months ago, told Crain's New York Business that the Bowl ad will be more than 30 seconds long, though he declined to provide more details. 

Consumers are of course more diet-conscious than usual around the New Year, and in addition to Chobani's ongoing marketing of Greek yogurt's high protein and other nutritional benefits, the brand is this week introducing a line of 100-calorie cups--a late entry into this important segment of the yogurt market, notes Crain's.

"This is a consumer we've been missing for the last six years," CEO Hamdi Ulukaya conceded to Crain's.

But he stressed that Chobani's 100-calorie will be the first to use only natural sweeteners--in addition to sugar, the company is using a mix of stevia, monk fruit and chicory root that he says cuts stevia's bitter aftertaste, and also adds fiber.

General Mills is catching up in the Greek segment with its recently introduced Yoplait Greek 100-calorie line, and its executives recently said the company now has about 9% of the Greek market (and will push to get that up to 20%).

Dannon now offers a Greek version of its 80-calorie Light & Fit line, and it will advertise its Oikos Greek brand for the second time during this year's Super Bowl.  

Chobani experienced its first PR crisis this past summer, when mold caused it to voluntarily recall about 5% of its yogurt from retail stores. 

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