2001 BEST USE OF TELEVISION WINNER

WINNING ENTRY - Puts the Squeeze on Seinfeld

COMPANY - OMD Melbourne

CLIENT - MasterFoods

SPONSORED BY
www.oztam.com.au

OBJECTIVE

How do you capitalise on the influence of cult sitcom Seinfeld to sell more sauces in squeezy bottles? OMD harnessed the power of nothing - or rather, the shows in which Jerry and his friends talk about sauce - with a unique take on endorsement-style advertising for client Masterfoods.

CAMPAIGN

The agency devised pull-through ads, basically a line of text running across the bottom of the screen, to promote Masterfoods' sauces, mustards and dijonnaise to correspond to episodes those products featured in conversations between the characters. OMD also managed to convince Network Ten to move the ad breaks from their original slots to immediately after the saucy conversations, so that Masterfoods' TVCs could intensify the impact of the pullthroughs. Network Ten also agreed to reschedule Seinfeld programming, running all the saucy episodes consecutively across one week and prepromoted the event as the "Masterfoods Squeeze into New York" competition, directing viewers to watch Seinfeld for a chance to win a trip to New York.

RESULTS

The objective of increasing sales across the total sauces range was met with a sales increase of 32.5% in May 2000 over the previous month and 48.1% over May 1999, an all time sales record for Squeeze Sauces. Household penetration grew by 5% and Masterfoods now claims a 70% ownership of the mustards market.