As families gear
up for the return to school, Wonderful Halos wants to make sure it's high on parents' shopping list. The citrus brand is introducing a new campaign starring Blippi, the popular preschool character.
The company hopes that by pairing the sweet little mandarin up with the playful star -- known everywhere for his orange-and-blue color scheme -- early on, it'll build a snacking habit that keeps
on going.
Themed “Halos Save Lunch,” ads are running with an East Coast focus, on connected TV and social
media, including YouTube, where Blippi has grown from a singular creator to a brand with more than 100 million fans and over one billion average monthly views. Jennifer Hirano, vice president of
marketing for The Wonderful Company, tells CPG Insider why the company chose this approach for its biggest ad push of the year.
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This interview
has been edited for length and clarity.
CPG Insider: Wonderful Halos already has a strong shelf recognition with parents. What does the
Blippi partnership change? Is the idea that you'll win kids over, so they'll pester mom and dad?
Jennifer Hirano: A little. It's important
for Halos to get noticed in stores, and we don't see a lot of produce companies doing point-of-sale activations. We plan to roll out life-size Blippis and different cardboard cutouts. It's something
unusual, and we're going to be able to hit back-to-school, which is an important time, setting the rhythm for the year. And yes, we think that's going to be exciting for kids.
CPG Insider: Produce is one of the few store categories that doesn't have much character licensing, as opposed to cereal or snacks. What convinced
you that this was the right time to do it?
Hirano: When we were brainstorming, we thought it would be a really good way to do something
different. And we liked that Blippi's colors match ours perfectly. Also, Blippi isn't just a megastar, but he's also all about education and healthy eating. We may decide to do more partnerships like
this with other Wonderful brands, but Halos definitely seemed like the right one to start with.
CPG Insider: Parents are very skeptical of
marketing aimed at kids these days, and I'm sure there will be plenty who look at this and say, "Blippi sold out." How did you talk about those risks?
Hirano: Fruit is the easiest thing for a parent to say, "Oh yeah, this is healthy." It would be different if this was something like a very sugary
cereal.
CPG Insider: What metrics are you tracking most closely?
Hirano: We'll be
looking at engagement and the view rate of the videos, as well as sales and excitement and feedback from both retailers and parents.
CPG
Insider: Tell me what you know about the habits of parents. How essential are Halos to school lunches?
Hirano: Over half -- 52% --
of parents who are buying mandarins put them in their kids' lunchboxes. It doesn't require any extra work. They are a bit hardier than a banana, and they can just toss it into the bag. School is one
of the top consumption occasions, along with on the way to sports and weekend travels.
CPG Insider: How big is this, and what else is in the
campaign?
Hirano: This is our biggest push for the year, and we’re spending several million dollars. Ads will run now through the
California mandarin season, which is October, November and into December. There are some Blippi meet-and-greet events around Halloween, and that should be a great fan engagement experience. We also
have a contest where we're going to fly a family out to meet Blippi, all-expenses-paid.