Angel Soft "Angels in Action"

Marketer: Georgia-PacificCampaign: Angel Soft "Angels in Action" ContestAgency: DVC Worldwide, national promotion (Mars Advertising, Ralphs overlay)Award Category: National Consumer Promotion (Budget between $1 Million and $5 Million)Product Category: Paper ProductsMarketing Overview Angel Soft Toilet Paper, the No. 3 brand in the category, has 15% share of market and is positioned as an affordable, premium brand.Angel Soft wanted to create a point-of-difference in this highly competitive category without eroding equity or relying on favorable pricing. The brand strategy was to develop a proprietary program that created emotional impact and kept consumers and the trade engaged. "Angels in Action" was considered to be such a program, encouraging children to become involved in their communities or causes by rewarding exemplary service (such as starting clothing/food drives or raising money for charities). In 2003, the brand's goal was to: increase the breadth of the programdrive volume and share in the grocery channel.Objectives Increase sales.Differentiate the brand in the category by building an emotional connection with consumers.Generate consumer and retailer involvement.Strategy & Tactics StrategiesLeverage "Angels in Action" to create greater excitement and interaction. Expand the program through schools, engaging teachers, parents and students.Deliver purchase incentives.Tactics1. Angel Soft "Angels in Action" encouraged kids to make a difference by becoming involved in community service, and rewarded those who took active roles in helping others.New celebrity spokesmom Jane Kaczmarek (from Fox TV's Malcolm in the Middle) put a "face" on the promotion, adding star power, personality and warmth.Fully integrated umbrella program went directly into consumers' homes, offering parents an "Angels in Action" Kit with motivational calendar, parent's guide, student activity booklet, inspirational stickers and reward pin.Kids were nominated by parents, friends or teachers, who submitted essays of 100 words or fewer.Ten winners were chosen from across the country based on dedication, acts of selflessness and relevance to the theme.Each winner received $5,000 and a trip to Universal Studios in Los Angeles; Jane Kaczmarek personally gave each $1,000 for their charity2. National FSIs Feb. 9, 2003: Promoted the Angel Kit, announced the contestMay 4, 2003: Solicited entries3. Dedicated WebsiteDownloadable formats for in-school materials, individual/classroom contest nomination forms, Angel Kit order form.4. School Program: Angels in the ClassroomExtended awareness to students and parents by promoting the program in 3,000 schools within 16 designated marketing areas.Included teacher's guide with lesson plans, parent's guide on involving children in community service, student activity booklet with exercises and motivational tools, classroom poster.A separate contest encouraged schools to participate for a chance to win a $10,000 donation to their classroom project, a chance to meet Kaczmarek and a $1,000 award for the teacher; Kaczmarek also matched Georgia-Pacific's $10,000 donation.5. Public relations: Heightened awareness by delivering 105 million impressions through three events: one at launch, one to announce the winning classroom event, and one for the awards ceremony.6. Retail: Looking for a suitable retail partner, Georgia-Pacific worked with Ralphs to create Angels in Action Day, a special event held at an Anaheim Angels Major League Baseball game. In the program, shoppers were automatically entered into a sweeps to win tickets to the game when they purchased Angel Soft using their Ralphs Club Card. The brand received chain-wide endcap placement, endcap and shelf signage, and feature space in circulars, according to J. Burt Carroll, customer marketing manager, Georgia-Pacific. A co-equity overlay to the national FSI supported.The event itself, held in summer 2003, featured announcements on Anaheim Stadium's Jumbotron, a contest winner throwing out the first pitch, special "7th Inning Stretch" recognition, and a premium giveaway (a co-branded Ralphs/Angel Soft backpacks, which was distributed to all children in attendance). Results 1. Sales increases (per ACNielsen):Brand case volume rose 31% and dollar volume 26% during promo launch vs. prior period, at a time when the overall category dropped.Following the second FSI drop, case volume rose 10.4% and dollar volume 11.3%.2. Share Increases (per ACNielsen):Case share rose 2.6 points (32%), and dollar share rose 2.1 points (28%) during promo launch.Following second FSI drop, case share increased .84 points (8%) and dollar share.78 points (9%).3. Consumer InvolvementBoth coupon redemptions exceeded industry average by more than 300% (per CMS 2003 Trends)Total impressions: 200 millionSummary Originality: A unique, proprietary program. Angel Soft is the only toilet paper brand for which this theme could be used to reinforce the brand name and its strong equity of caring. The program connected emotionally with consumers beyond functional benefits. Kaczmarek's participation provided star power, warmth and humanity while generating strong consumer appeal and involvement, reinvigorating the program and the brand.Execution: The Angel Kit made the promotion simple, accessible and exciting at the household level, providing all the necessary elements to encourage children to do community service and nominate future "angels.""Angels in the Classroom" effectively used schools as a promotional channel, deepening consumer involvement by increasing opportunities for participation.Results: Outstanding sales and share increases, especially considering the category's characteristics and the brand's maturity. Generated significant quantifiable results in an intensely competitive category to build differentiated brand equity. Deepened consumer involvement by enhancing an established, annual program, resulting in immediate gains and potential for future initiatives.

Angel Soft "Angels in Action"

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