• by Karlene Lukovitz , October 8, 2015

In an approach that parent ConAgra Foods describes as a major departure and repositioning, the Bertolli frozen meals brand is focusing on the joy of preparing and sharing meals at home together in its new campaign.

Taglined "Don't Just Eat. Mangia!," the campaign, from DDB California, seeks to position Bertolli as the frozen brand uniquely able to help people create authentic Italian meals at home — and connect with one another through the kinds of meaningful shared meal experiences that lie at the heart of Italian culture. That is a message that presumably resonates increasingly with couples and families who are experiencing less and less in-person human interaction, thanks to smartphones and social media.

The campaign includes two fast-paced, upbeat TV spots. One features a Millennial couple who work in some dance moves as they prep their Bertolli skillet meal; the other a middle-aged couple who are clearly relishing preparing a romantic dinner to eat on their candle-lit patio.

Both spots look to subtly refute negative perceptions about frozen meals' nutrition and freshness (and consumers' fear that using frozen is lazy or less than creative) by showing the couples adding their own ingredients, like wine and fresh tomatoes and grated cheese.

But the main thrust of the message — conveyed in bold, all-caps on-screen overlays, as well as the visuals and jaunty music — is enjoying one another's company. In the spot featuring the younger couple, the messaging says: "Don't just make dinner. Make memories. Don't slow down. Dance to your own beat. " The messaging in the other spot urges: "Don't sit still. Stir things up. Don't set the table. Set the mood." Both end with the "mangia" tagline. 

The campaign, timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the overall Bertolli brand, also includes digital advertising, in-store promotions, public relations and social media.

In November, the brand will debut a "mangia microsite" as a hub to encourage consumers to share a #mangiamoment.

It's no secret that sales of frozen foods -- and frozen meals in particular -- have been declining for nearly a decade now, thanks to changing demographics, eating habits and perceptions, as well as competition from fresh and prepared foods in grocery stores, and new, healthier fast-food platforms.

It's certainly not news to leading frozen brands makers, including ConAgra — whose own research in 2013 confirmed that 80% of consumers perceive frozen foods to be highly processed and nearly two thirds think that they're "fattening."

Frozen food makers' individual and collective efforts to educate consumers about the nutritional value of fresh frozen ingredients, and the reality that an expanding number of frozen meal offerings are not highly processed or high calorie, have not managed to push the overall category's needle upward (although certain segments, like convenient frozen breakfast items, have been growing).

Bertolli frozen meals, which ConAgra acquired in 2012 from Unilever, along with the P.F. Chang frozen brand, is one example of frozen food manufacturers' continuing efforts to innovate and experiment on both the product and marketing fronts. It's also one of several recent frozen brands acquisitions designed to enable ConAgra, parent of  Banquet, Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, Kid Cuisine, and Marie Callender's, to market to new consumer segments and meal occasions.

According to ConAgra brand director Derek Neeley, Bertolli is in the process of discontinuing some of its poor-performing SKUs, including much of its single-serve line, "which is driving down overall sales."

"That said, we are seeing positive trends in our multi-serve business, especially our skillet line, which is the lion’s share of our business — and the focus of the “Mangia” campaign," he adds.

Asked if the campaign will be used as an umbrella for the brand's expanding number of other frozen meal offerings, Neeley says that  "the beauty" of the campaign is that "it is extendable beyond just skillet meals," because of its focus on the Italian way of eating. "Initially, our focus will be on our Dual-Serve Skillets, but as we launch other multi-serve products, such as our Lasagna and Family Size Skillets, we will extend to those items, as well," he reports.