Company: Del Monte Foods
Nonprofit Partner: Partnership for a Healthier America
Launch Date: March 17, 2014
Campaign:
Del Monte Foods announced that it has joined the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which works with the private sector and Honorary Chair First Lady Michelle Obama to end the childhood obesity crisis, in a 5-year commitment to help increase fruit and vegetable consumption among children. Del Monte will devote $18 million over three years to execute marketing campaigns and promotions that encourage families and children to consume more servings of fruits and vegetables including the distribution of 150 million coupons over 3 years for at least a 40 percent discount on its products. The company will also improve on-label recipes and include “drained labels” to fruit products to encourage reduced sugar consumption. Del Monte will also donate 7.5 million pounds of fruit and vegetable products in the next 3 years and will raise the nutritional profile of its products by 15 percent.
Our Take:
At first glance, you might not label this move from Del Monte as a cause marketing effort. But it certainly has all the trappings of a healthy partnership: a long-term commitment to a brand-aligned cause as well as business benefit (you’d better believe $18 million in marketing and promotions as well as 150 million in coupons will result in measurable product sales and brand recognition). The partnership takes one additional step beyond a traditional cause marketing campaign, however, in the form of label and product improvements in an effort to move the needle on childhood obesity. Is this the direction more cause-focused efforts should head in your opinion? Weigh in with your comments below!
I find del monte to be the least health conscious company, taking fruit and developing a taste in children that fruit can only be eaten canned and in a bed of sugar. I do hope this recent turn is, in the very least, an authentic way of turning things around. They would do best by putting advertising into fresh fruit consumption on a daily basis!
Certainly Lauren Plaviak has points about whether Del Monte’s canned fruits are, today, really a healthy option, but I applaud Del Monte for partnering with this group. I was fortunate to attend their annual conference last year and there’s a lot of great conversations and efforts going on there – most of which few know about. Partnership for a Healthier America makes companies stick to their promises – making a partnership more than cause marketing and more of a healthy business strategy, in both senses of the phrase.