Campaign of Note: “Save the Food”

As we point out in this campaign case study from the FADS Book, data shows us emotional campaigns are more likely to generate substantial movement than rational appeals in generating profit and brand awareness. This manifests in food marketing in staggeringly diverse ways as ads frequently muse on how a product will make us feel and how it will improve our lives.

In “The Extraordinary Life and Times of a Strawberry,” the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Ad Council take us on an emotional journey following one strawberry as it begins it’s hopeful journey through harvest, transit, packaging, and purchase, only to mold away and become wasted garbage in the darkness of someone’s refrigerator. The beautifully done ad takes us through hope, amusement, disappointment and finally, guilt.

Watch the ad here:

This ad was just one part of a full campaign that included print, web, and out-of-home ads urging people to stop wasting food. That final pang of guilt seems to be a potent emotional motivator, especially for increasingly environmentally conscious consumers, many of whom are composting and urban-gardening already out of guilt. And indeed, the campaign was effective with “a significant growth in issue and PSA awareness, including among key subgroups – Moms & Millennials. Issue awareness has increased from 31% when the campaign first launched to 48% in March 2018. Similarly, PSA awareness has grown from 18% to 35% in that same timeframe.”

Read more about the campaign in the FADS Marketing book, on the Ad Council site, or on the Save the Food website.