Nature's Path Looks to Grow U.S. Household Penetration via 'Relatable' Brother Nature Character, Brand Relaunch
Organic breakfast and snack brand Nature's Path launched a campaign in the spring centered on Mother Nature's little brother: Brother Nature.
The concept focuses on the idea that people already view Mother Nature as a source of health and wellness, and Nature’s Path takes that and makes it taste great, Raj Joshi, Nature's Path CMO, told the Path to Purchase Institute.
The Brother Nature character brings this to life by transforming Mother Nature’s bounty into great-tasting, organic products.
"Brother Nature makes the brand relatable and fun," he said.
Launched in April, the campaign has so far included activity on YouTube, Instagram, OTT and a May 13 event in New York City (see below) with Brother Nature in attendance.
The program has garnered roughly 200 million impressions in the U.S., according to Joshi. Once consumer interest is built up, the brand will look at retail execution.
Growing Household Penetration
The Canadian-based and -headquartered brand has generally wide distribution in both countries. It has products in Loblaw and Sobeys in Canada, and Walmart, Target and Whole Foods in the U.S., but shelf presence in Canada is significantly better, Joshi explained.
The Brother Nature campaign is focused on the U.S. market and aims to help grow the brand's household penetration in the country, or help convert "light green" consumers into "dark green" ones, he said.
"We're a unique brand because we have an extremely loyal consumer base," Joshi said. "We call them ‘dark green consumers’ or ‘Nature's Pathfinders’ — people who understand the benefits of organic and have been with us for a long time, and they buy a lot of our products."
The company wants to bring in more people who are new to the brand, so the focus has been to identify consumers who are open to Nature's Path but haven't fully adopted it yet, a segment Joshi called "light green consumers."
The campaign is also part of a brand relaunch for the company. The look and feel of the brand, including assets, fonts and colors, are evolving and will be consistent across both the U.S. and Canada markets, said Joshi. New packaging is expected to roll out within a year.
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Canadian Pride & Bringing Brands to the U.S.
As a brand with Canada roots, there have been some tactical changes when it comes to marketing in Canada considering tensions between the countries.
This includes Canada-specific promotions and advertising, Joshi said, such as the Que Pasa "O’Canada" tortilla chips, which are available for a limited time in maple-leaf pride packaging at select Canadian retailers, including Loblaw.
Que Pasa is largely produced in Canada, but is available in the U.S. via Whole Foods. The company's baby and child food Canadian brand Love Child also recently launched in the U.S. through retailers including Sprouts Farmers Market.
“We want to have [organic] options for babies all the way to adults,” Joshi said.
