The holiday season is usually marked by an overabundance of advertising messages across absolutely every channel through which companies can communicate with customers. Since the final weeks of the year are the busiest shopping season, when sales are significantly higher than the rest of the year, advertisers are in an uphill battle for customers’ attention. For some categories of goods – books, wines, confectionery, perfumes, jewelry – the task of traders is relatively simple; these are gifts that are traditionally given to loved ones on holidays.

Example: Bonduelle’s national campaign for the Vapeur range of products

But for players in other industries whose sales do not depend on the hype around Christmas gifts, the mission of selling during such a busy holiday season is a bit more difficult. How do they get customers to buy? What happens when a company sells consumer goods – as in this case, frozen or canned vegetables? Is the campaign structured differently? What tactics do these advertisers use and how do they communicate with buyers? What am I doing differently with my target audience compared to the rest of the year and for what purpose? Below is a small case study on this topic: how Bonduelle’s national advertising campaign ran from late October to mid-December, focusing on Vapeur’s range of products – pre-steamed, frozen or canned. versions.

Holiday promotions are not just promotions

“To an outside observer, it may seem unusual that a company like Bonduelle, the European leader in the segment of frozen and canned vegetables, communicates during such a busy period in the media,” says Carmen Gheorghe, Brand Manager of Bonduelle in Romania. “Of course, this advertising campaign of the Vapeur range has primarily a commercial goal, namely the goal of sales. But on the other hand, it also has a strategic role, namely the preservation of market share. It is during such stressful periods that those who do not communicate risk losing out to competitors. Our campaign for the Vapeur range is also a way to maintain brand awareness at a time when people are simply bombarded with commercial messages. But in order to be heard in all this commotion, you need to communicate through all the channels at your disposal.

Carmen George

Thus, the sales objective was doubled as an image one, namely raising awareness of this range of Bonduelle products, as well as supporting the brand’s new platform under the slogan “Be fresh like vegetables!”, with which we want to change people’s perception of vegetables, reminding of the simple the truth: they are a source of energy and health for those who consume them.”

Three means of communication, dozens of promotions

The campaign took place in three main communication mediums: in-store, on shelves, on television and online – both company channels (such as Bonduelle’s Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages) and third-party distribution media.

​”A promotional campaign has a clear goal, delivering a message addressed to the target audience, you can increase the number of customers and achieve sales figures. In the specific case of this national campaign, we decided to promote the Vapeur range as it meets the needs of consumers with a special product offer, a unique innovation in the frozen and canned vegetables market in Romania. From a commercial point of view, the campaign produced excellent results for the Vapeur range: increased sales in both categories, the products were introduced in major chain stores, receiving a positive response from consumers who tried them.” – says Monica Rosu, commercial director of Bonduelle.

Monika Ed

According to the Vapeur technology, canned vegetables are previously freshly picked, steamed, under vacuum and in their own juice or with a very small addition of juice. They can also be eaten straight from the can without cooking beforehand. In the case of frozen vegetables, the standard blanching process is replaced by steaming at 120°C, which are subsequently flash frozen at -40°C. This method is used exclusively in Bonduelle production lines.

Thus, the advantages of Vapeur technology help vegetables to retain freshness, aroma, nutritional qualities, taste and color. One of the advantages of the Vapeur range is the reduction of the cooking time of vegetables in the home kitchen from 15 minutes to 3 minutes, so vegetables are ready for consumption in a much shorter time.

“With the penetration of modern commerce in Romania, the battle for sales also takes place in the store. Faced with an ever-increasing variety of products, in many cases shoppers make their purchase decisions right in front of the shelf. An alternative solution to make your product as visible as possible is to label it as best as possible on the shelf.” Monica explains to Rosa.

Three videos, three video formats on YouTube

In this way, the innovative features of the Bonduelle Vapeur range were presented in stores through promotional materials, commercials played on in-store screens and a tasting campaign where consumers could try four varieties of canned vegetables: lentils, Borlotti beans, chickpeas and peas . During the campaign, which took place in three large shopping centers of the capital, several thousand cans of vegetables were distributed free of charge. In terms of awareness, the impact was around 400,000 views, estimated based on visitor traffic during the campaign period.

The results of the sampling campaign showed a strong positive response in terms of taste. Thus, people who tried four varieties of Vapeur canned vegetables gave an average taste rating of 4.19 to 4.51 out of 5, with consumers in the 26-35 age group giving the highest ratings. In all age categories, the scores given by men and women were almost equal, which refutes the prejudice that women appreciate vegetables more than men.

The TV campaign mainly supported awareness through commercials that aired on various TV channels, both general and thematic (news, movies, music, lifestyle, animation or food).

During the campaign, Bonduelle made available to consumers a website where they could win five mountain wellness holidays and other prizes.

On social media, Bonduelle’s national campaign was marked by the launch of the new Bonduelle TikTok channel, as well as campaigns on Facebook and Instagram. Added to this is an “influencer” marketing campaign on social media, focused on promotional communication, as well as a presence at online industry events in Romania, focused on promoting the new brand. platform.

In parallel, advertising campaigns were run on e-commerce platforms to directly support sales or promote the advertising campaign itself, as well as through a campaign on Spotify, where commercials were shown during commercial breaks.

Article supported by Bonduelle