Chobani thinks outside the yogurt pot in a new animated campaign

When people hear the name Chobani, the first product they think of is usually Greek yogurt. That’s the only item the brand sold when it began, and it’s still its best known. Now, after a series of product introductions of dairy and non-dairy items, Chobani is ready to showcase itself as a broader player in the overall food and beverage business. The effort kicks off today with an animated spot called “Dear Alice” that features a diverse group of animated characters and shows a range of Chobani products—everything from oat milk to cold brew coffee, creamers to probiotic drinks and, of course, yogurt. The spot shows a whimsical world including some more traditional ad cues, such as people gathering around a table for a meal; and hints at a sustainable world that is more futuristic, such as a machine that picks peaches and inflatable wind turbines. “This is one of our biggest integrated campaigns that we’ve done in a long time,” says Meredith Madden, senior VP of marketing strategy and insights. The broad “Dear Alice” overall brand spot will run on its own for two weeks, before 15-second animated spots begin airing that showcase oat milk, creamer, its probiotic beverage and cold brew coffee, says Madden. Creating standalone spots for those categories makes sense, especially for oat milk. The overall industry has seen staggering growth lately, with category sales up 200% from a year ago, according to Nielsen data for the 52 weeks ended Feb. 6 provided by Chobani. The brand competes with rivals such as Oatly, which has been getting its name out in the market, including with a Super Bowl in-game ad buy. Chobani also ran an ad during the game, but only in a limited number of markets. Yogurt, meanwhile, is also growing but at a slower clip. Chobani’s yogurt sales were up 12% in the 52 weeks ended Feb. 13, while Greek yogurt sales rose 8.6% and yogurt overall rose 5.1%, according to Nielsen data provided by Chobani. Chobani’s campaign effort includes TV, online video, social media and shopper marketing. Chobani is also partnering with The New York Times’ T Brand Studio on a custom podcast. The campaign was developed internally. The Line handled TV animation, Walker worked on music, Scholar handled social animation, and the illustrators were Kate Dehler and M. Fatchurofi “Rofi.” Horizon Media is Chobani’s media agency of record. The company, which declined to say whether it’s planning to go public, has made strides in moving beyond yogurt in recent months. It had previously tried to extend into other parts of the grocery sector back in 2016, with savory dips, but those products were soon discontinued. Join us on March 23 for the Ad Age Next: Food & Beverage virtual conference, where industry leaders will share lessons from the past year and offer perspectives on what happens next. Register here.

Chobani thinks outside the yogurt pot in a new animated campaign

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