• by Nina Lentini  @Nina_Lentini, October 4, 2007

As football season heats up, Hillshire Farm, maker of smoked sausages and cocktail links, is adding two new flavors, Honey BBQ and Chipotle Hot, to its line.

The unit of Downers Grove, Ill.-based Sara Lee will promote the flavors through its "Go Meat!" campaign at gomeat.com, in-store, via PR and "within future TV and print opportunities," says Sara Lee's Sara Matheu. "The Go Meat! campaign is doing very well, and we are very excited to move into the holiday season with this great campaign."

Hillshire Farm, like siblings Ball Park hot dogs and Jimmy Dean sausage, is enjoying a big boost in advertising that pushed Sara Lee's fourth quarter, which ended in August, and annual earnings past Wall Street expectations.

In that last quarter, Sara Lee pushed up its Hillshire Farm deli meats "Go Meat!" effort by 24%. As CEO Brenda Barnes told analysts at the time, "Virtually all of [our strategic brands] have new positionings and campaigns."

According to Nielsen Monitor-Plus, Hillshire Farm has spent $13 million from January to June this year, compared to $11.3 million for all of 2006.

Hillshire Farm reported high single-digit sales growth in fiscal 2007, building upon growth in the prior year. During fiscal 2007, the meats business increased or maintained market share in five of its eight packaged meats categories, Sara Lee said, citing IRI share data.

The "Go Meat!" campaign is by TBWAChiatDay.

The new Honey BBQ Smoked Sausage joins current flavors Cheddarwurst, Beef Hot Link, Hot Link, Polska Kielbasa, Smoked Bratwurst and Beef Smoked Sausage. The Chipotle Hot flavor joins Lit'l Smokies, Lit'l Cheddar Smokies, Lit'l Beef Smokies and Lit'l Polskas.