• by Nina Lentini , January 19, 2007

Hormel Foods Corp. is creating a unified brand marketing campaign to make it more memorable on the grocery store shelf. Starting in February, a new logo will start rolling out that will eventually appear on all Hormel-branded products.

The company is relying on unified branding to span a gap between Hormel-branded products and Hormel Foods (such as Spam), which bear the corporate logo. The new packaging system is designed to help Hormel loyalists better identify other Hormel products throughout the store.

The mark, last updated in 1992, features a red ribbon-like seal and "Since 1891" to exploit the company's heritage. Semmer Group, Minneapolis designed it. All products should carry the new logo within two years.

A companion integrated ad campaign includes TV, print and online advertising and features the tagline "Create something great," the company said in a statement. It features members of Hormel's target audience of women ages 25-54 in testimonials of how a Hormel product can be used to "elevate the everyday."

Three product lines--cooked entrees, microwave trays, and deli sandwich meats--are being advertised in 30-second spots on network daytime and cable. Print advertising launched in November, and appears in lifestyle and trade publications. Additional marketing support includes consumer promotion and public relations.

Hormel spent $36 million on ads in 2005, and $32 million from January through November of 2006, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus.