Sara Lee Sells Whole Grain Image To Teens

• by Karl Greenberg , August 28, 2008

Sara Lee Fresh Bakery is pitching its whole-grain Soft & Smooth brand to teens with its largest campaign to date. The effort, allied with Disney's "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," comprises TV, Web, in-cinema grassroots events, sweepstakes, PR and point-of-purchase activities timed to the film's Oct. 24 release.

The advertising campaign, via TBWA/Chiat/Day, Santa Monica, Calif., centers on a 30-second spot featuring the stars of the forthcoming film. The ad--which breaks Sept. 16 on the Disney Channel during the season finale of "High School Musical: Get In The Picture"--has actors Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Lucas Grabeel and Olesya Rulin playing, dancing and doing lunch using Soft & Smooth bread.

The effort includes a national promotion via events and promotions agency OgilvyAction, dangling tickets to a movie screening attended by Bleu. Special packaging on 40 million packages of Soft & Smooth bread, and point-of-sale materials in 15,000 stores will feature a picture of Bleu and movie branding.

The digital campaign includes a "High School Musical 3" microsite at TheJoyofEating.com with games, promotions and sandwich recipes inspired by the film's characters, and a promotion called Sara Lee Soft & Smooth's Second Annual "Take Your Whole Grain Sandwich to School Day" in which families that pledge to send their children back to school with a whole grain sandwich get a recorded congratulations phone call from Bleu.

Online elements include a "Lunchtime Is Showtime" video contest, in which kids can vie for a lunch-period visit to their school by Bleu and co-star Justin Martin and a $25,000 grant from Sara Lee Soft & Smooth by entering a 90-second video about the benefits of whole grain nutrition.

Sara Lee will also promote its Hillshire Farm lunch meat brand with point-of-purchase materials featuring character-themed sandwich recipes and a national on-pack promotion on assorted Hillshire Farm Deli Select Ultra Thin products for free movie tickets. Hillshire Farm is also partnering with Soft & Smooth on account-specific marketing activities and in-pack promotions.

The company, which posted $12.2 billion in global sales last year, says the Soft & Smooth bread products--launched in 2005--accounted for $1 billion in annual sales in 2007.