• by Steve Ellwanger , March 5, 2020

The Laughing Cow wants to spread its bovine laughter across America.

The nearly 100-year-old cheese icon from Bel Brands has reformulated its soft wedges with added calcium and is highlighting the brand’s “real cheese” status in a new campaign titled “Because It’s Better To Laugh.”

Campaign messaging debuted this week on the Nasdaq and Thomson Reuters billboards in Manhattan’s Times Square—an area that attracts an estimated 1.5 million residents and tourists daily, according the official Times Square website.

Beyond its New York City presence, The Laughing Cow will distribute more than 500,000 samples at various athletic and entertainment events this year, including the Boulder Creek Festival in Colorado and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series in various cities.

The campaign—which runs through September—is based on a survey by CSA Research showing that 59% of respondents would like to laugh more frequently, according to Johnni Rodgers, brand director for The Laughing Cow USA.

“The Laughing Cow has always been made with real cheese,” Rodgers tells Marketing Daily. “We think it’s important to highlight that our quality is never impacted because of our innovations, and our consumer is always top of mind.”

A soon-to-be released video opens with three women—yes, laughing—as a voiceover says “Laughter does us good. What we eat should do the same.”

Besides out-of-home media, campaign videos will appear online and on paid social channels, in lieu of television.

The campaign creative is from Havas, with media handled by Spark. Nsight is the experiential/sampling agency and Edible is responsible for public relations.

Bel Group, which also markets Babybel and Boursin, ranks third worldwide in branded cheeses. Its U.S. competitors include the Kraft Heinz brands Kraft, Philadelphia and Velveeta, along with the privately owned Daisy and Sargento brands.

Distribution of reformulated The Laughing Cow wedges began in January and will reach full retail distribution this month. In May, they will be joined by a new variety, Creamy Aged Cheddar Bacon.