• by Karlene Lukovitz , September 8, 2008

The odds that consumers will berate themselves because they "could've had a V8" have just gotten slimmer.

Campbell Soup Company, which has expanded V8-branded juices to more than 20 varieties in recent years, is now extending the brand to a product category it knows pretty well: soup.

Campbell's V8 Soups, like their juice counterparts, provide a full portion of vegetables per USDA dietary guidelines. The pureed soups are being introduced at supermarkets and mass merchandise chains nationwide in five flavors: Golden Butternut Squash, Garden Broccoli, Tomato Herb, Southwestern Corn and Sweet Red Pepper.

The soups are low in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol, and contain no artificial flavors or preservatives. Some varieties also offer vitamins A and C, potassium and fiber. Packaged in 18.3-ounce fresh-sealed boxes, their suggested retail price is $2.99.

The product launch will be supported with print and TV spots, both slated to begin mid-September. The tagline is simplicity itself: "Introducing New V8 soups from Campbell's."

If successful, the soup line will be another example of Campbell's mastery of using V8's clearly defined brand mission--"To help more people get more vegetables, every day"--as the platform for a growing number of products bearing the familiar, trusted, 75-year-old V8 name.

V8's marketing and communications consistently drive home the point that all of the brand's offerings are a convenient, delicious solution for the 7 out of 10 adults who don't consume the recommended daily servings of vegetables. Campbell business director of wellness innovation Kelly Berrie made this point in announcing the new soup line, describing it as "another flavorful, easy way for people to increase their daily vegetable intake and help bridge the vegetable consumption gap."

In an email follow-up with Marketing Daily, Berrie confirmed that the V8 brand has begun "approaching its equity as a 'mega brand' committed to providing vegetable nutrition beyond 100% vegetable juice," and that this "has provided growth within the category." As Campbell developed a soup designed to provide a full serving of vegetables in every bowl, "it just made sense to marry the equities of two of our top-selling brands--the vegetable nutrition of V8 coupled with the great taste and warm nourishment of Campbell's soups," she adds.

The V8 brand now includes six varieties of the original 100%-vegetable juice (traditional, High Fiber, Low Sodium, Spicy Hot, Calcium-Enriched, and Essential Antioxidants). The V8 Fusion juice line, which delivers a serving of both fruit and vegetables ("Get the Veggies, Taste the Fruit"), plus antioxidants and vitamins A, C and E-plus, was launched in 2006. That line includes two Fusion Light flavors, as well as five regular flavors. V8 Splash Juice Drinks ("a blend of fruity flavors with a hint of carrot") include five regular flavors, two Diet Splash flavors, and two Splash Smoothies varieties.

The appeal of the much-pursued "master" or "mega" brand concept is clear: Extending an established brand's power to more categories and consumers to realize greater sales volume, efficiencies and margins. However, many brands have failed to realize volume and share-of-market goals with extensions.

Category-specific benefits structures "dictate the right approach" to the master brand strategy, pointed out Jayne Eastman, managing partner in Henry Rak Consulting Partners, in a broader interview with Marketing Daily late last month. HRCP's strategic brand-growth clients have included V8 and Tylenol, among many others.

Some brands, including V8, have the substantial advantage of being able to offer and market/advertise the same common, core benefit (the benefits of vegetable nutrition) across products, Eastman explained. But in other cases--as with the drug category and Tylenol--while the brand personality/trust factor has real value, it's the specific benefit being sought through a specific drug (long-lasting pain relief for arthritis versus quick pain relief for common headaches) that must be the main focus of each new product's positioning and marketing strategy under the same brand.