Championing Carrots

A coalition of carrot growers is working to promote baby carrots in the junk food market. To get the word out, four carrot growers have joined together and hired an agency to create a promotion designed to get people to eat more carrots.

The alliance was spearheaded by Bakersfield, Calif.-based Bolthouse Farm and includes A.F. Silveira & Sons, Greenfield, Calif.; Blackwell Land LLC, Bakersfield, Calif.; and Borzini Farms, King City, Calif. CP+B of Boulder, Colo., developed the integrated consumer campaign, which satirizes junk food marketing and carves out a unique niche for baby carrots. CP+B is an award-winning, international agency that has a client list that includes Burger King, Microsoft, Kraft, Domino’s Pizza and many more names recognized by consumers.

The campaign is called “eat ‘em like junk food” and was first rolled out in mid-September in Syracuse, N.Y., and Cincinnati markets. The campaign will roll out nationwide this year. The campaign includes new packaging for the baby carrots, and each package option will be accompanied by television ads that mimic junk food advertising tactics, according to CP+B.

“We feel that with the cultural climate around healthy snacking right now, there’s a unique and timely opportunity to do the first-ever consumer-based advertising for carrots,” said Jeff Dunn, chief executive officer of Bolthouse Farms. “CP+B delivered the creative firepower to seize this opportunity and change the face of our industry in a contemporary, engaging and interactive way.”

The television spots can be seen on the campaign’s new website, www.babycarrots.com. Visitors to the site will soon find a creative promotion in the form of a “carrot powered” video game. The iPod Touch and iPhone game, Xtreme Xrunch Kart, can be downloaded for free from the iTunes store. Players steer a rocket-powered shopping cart by tilting the iPhone or Touch, and if they bite into baby carrots while playing it will trigger in-game effects.

The baby carrots campaign also includes outdoor billboards, social media and customized vending machines in schools. The ads mimic junk food ads, and by using humor and creative designs the growers and agency hope to increase the consumption of healthy vegetable products.

“For baby carrots to join the conversation with other snacks, they need a bit of attitude,” Andrew Keller, partner and chief creative officer for CP+B, said in a statement. “Mocking modern snack marketing is a strategic way of creating that attitude.