• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer @mahoney_sarah, June 14, 2024

Aluminum foil doesn’t get much love. Reynolds Wrap hopes to change that by partnering with ButcherBox, the D2C meat brand. Inspired by the ongoing popularity of charcuterie and grazing boards, it is introducing BBQterie, a special offer of $119 kits curated by Emmy Rener of @SophisticatedSpreads. The kit equips people with summer grilling basics, Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty Foil, and ButcherBox meats like chicken wings, baby back ribs and hot dogs. It also includes recipes and instructions simple enough for novice grillers. Reynolds’ marketing director, Sumita Ghosh tells CPG Insider about the partnership.

CPG Insider: What’s the thinking behind this collaboration? ButcherBox is a high-end brand that is not nearly as well-known as Reynolds.

Sumita Ghosh: Summer presents some of the greatest moments in Reynolds’ foil business, so this year, we worked with Edelman, trying to think of big ideas around barbecue and summer grilling. We wanted to bring trends to our customers, and we came together on BBQterie.

We partnered with ButcherBox and brought in other experts, like Emmy Rener and Ben McGraw of @firehousegrub, our grilling expert. Even people who don’t buy the kit can access some recipes for free online. They’re all easy to cook, prep and grill, but in a designer way.

CPG Insider: Can you give us an overview of the aluminum foil business? Sales were down about 8% in the most recent quarter. What’s changing?

Ghosh: We’re still adjusting from pandemic times when people stayed home and cooked much more. And we're seeing people, especially millennials, buying more private labels. That’s hurt brands. And people have many options for foil -- there's parchment paper, bags or just not using anything.

CPG Insider: Outsiders often think CPG is easy once you get on store shelves, yet people take tin foil for granted. How do partnerships help build excitement?

Ghosh: We are always looking for ways to build buzz and talk about things that matter to consumers. Influencers are part of it. Summer and holidays, also a big season for us, are opportunities to jump on trends. We’re also looking to get attention for our other products, like slow cooker liners, parchment paper and bakeware items. We're leveraging a one-brand strategy to bring new news with influencers.

CPG Insider: I’m more of a faux foodie, but I can see this is a struggle. Everyone wants to talk about what's new like air fryers, not about staples like spatulas or tin foil. How else can you get a routine purchase on consumers’ radar?

Ghosh: We partner with our retailers a lot. Retail media networks are where we find our moments throughout the year. For example, if a retailer has a Super Bowl program coming up, we join that, adding creative and working together to make it newsworthy.

It’s not just about TV or influencer marketing. We try and carry it with shopper programs and retail and media network programs. Maybe there's a coupon at the end, but not always.

CPG Insider: Is there anything different about your marketing approach to the ButcherBox collaboration?

Ghosh: This effort is more about bringing our heavy-duty foil to our shoppers’ attention, not just to push sales. We want to say, "Here is an opportunity to use heavy-duty foil, making it easier for you to clean, because summers are all about bringing families and people together." This BBQterie program is a message about the ease of clean-up.

CPG Insider: How will you judge the success of this effort?

Ghosh: We’ll be looking closely at impressions. We want awareness and to build some buzz.

CPG Insider: How does that differ from your always on marketing?

Ghosh: We have a 360-degree marketing calendar. We’re on TV, online radio, and social platforms, depending on what works best with the times of the year. We also have retail media networks, like Amazon, Walmart, and Sam’s Club, as well as any shopper marketing network. And we partner with Feeding America.

 

 

CPG Insider: Aluminum foil is widely used, but is there a specific target market?

Ghosh: We have different segments and personas, and we know who our heavy users are. We also have folks looking to quickly get in and out of the kitchen. And we aim at millennials. We target our creative and media buys to those groups.

CPG Insider: About those millennials -- many experts say they cook less.

Ghosh: We are going after younger cooks specifically, as they are going into buying homes and starting families -- these are young millennials. Older millennials, boomers, and seniors are entrenched in our product, and we have high penetration. And yes, these younger people do cook less, so the key is bringing them nostalgia. They’ve seen their moms and grandmoms using our product. We need to quickly show the reliability and the strength of our products. Once trial happens, the repeat purchases follow pretty quickly.

CPG Insider: Is there a surprising fact about aluminum foil that many people don't know?

Ghosh: You can use both sides. Some people just don't know that. They think they can only use the shiny side.