Truvia Filling Gaps in Product Understanding

Wayzata, Minn. — Consumer research conducted in early 2012 revealed gaps in product understanding and purchase incentive for Cargill's Truvia, a natural sweetener derived from the stevia leaf. Most notably, consumers didn't recognize that Truvia is a natural product and has zero calories, and that it's neither a sugar nor an artificial sweetener. Cargill wanted to answer consumer questions such as: What is the product? Can I see myself using it? Do I want to tell people about it?To close the gaps, the company launched a $30 million marketing campaign running September 2012 through May that integrates television, radio, digital, social, mobile, coupons and sampling.The "From Nature. For Sweetness" program "addresses each crucial step on the path to purchase of Truvia products," says Mark Brooks, global consumer products director, Truvia. "It integrates every element that takes a consumer from awareness through trial and experience to becoming a dedicated brand advocate."Truvia opened the market for stevia-based sweeteners in 2008, when the company created a sugar substitute category called "natural sweetness" to address the white space between fully caloric sugar and artificial sweeteners. The product has the crystallized look, feel and crunch of sugar without the powdery appearance or chemical aftertaste of artificial sweeteners, Brooks says. Truvia has a 65% share of the U.S. natural sweetener category, he says, with stevia-based products forecast to represent 80% of that market.The target consumer for "From Nature. For Sweetness" was adjusted from women ages 24 to 54, historically the primary purchasers in the sugar substitute category, to all adults in that age group, says Brooks.The campaign launched with a series of 30- and 15-second national network and cable TV spots showcasing the stevia plant in a lush forest setting to communicate Truvia's natural source. Cargill also is investing heavily in product videos featured on Hulu, Pandora and other sites. Print, out-of-home and online ads are running on media focused on lifestyle, wellness, entertainment and epicurean topics.A social media program features product news, the TV commercials, chef recipes, tips and consumer posts through the Truvia website, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. In addition, to promote the new Truvia Baking Blend product, the company works closely with bakeries that test and endorse the Truvia product through their websites and blogs. "This 'community within a community' is sharing opinions and starting relevant conversations about natural sweetness across the social platform," Brooks says.Mobile advertising and couponing is based on demographics and psychographics for more precise targeting. "Truvia digital properties are optimized for smartphones and tablets so that mobile consumers can engage whenever and wherever they care to do so," Brooks says.Customers can engage further by nominating their favorite restaurants, coffee shops and bakeries to carry Truvia in their food service lines. In November, about 20,000 nominations had been made through Facebook. At that time, the brand also had more than 100,000 Facebook followers.Other marketing strategies include a partnership with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia for 12 days leading up to Christmas. A major theme for Easter promotions to come was reducing added sugar in holiday recipes: Shoppers in target locations will receive region-specific FSIs prior to in-store joint promotions with J.M. Smucker Co.'s Crisco shortening and the Truvia Baking Blend.The entire program integrates uniform imagery and messaging, including those on modular freestanding shippers, to consistently communicate natural sweetness. The stevia plant plays a prominent role in the imagery. Additional graphics on shippers and packaging allow alternate placement in stores. For example, a display co-branded with Smucker's Folgers is equally relevant in the coffee aisle as it is near the sweeteners. A strawberry shown on select packages (and accompanied by the shippers' instantly redeemable coupon for the fruit) makes the displays suitable for the produce section, while coupons for cookies, milk and other complementary products bring the display elsewhere in the store. Displays are designed to be prepacked with spoon, jar or box forms of Truvia.For the Folgers promotion, eight free sachets of Truvia sweetener were inserted under the clear Folgers can lids. Offered in Walmart on endcaps and category shelves, "the joint effort resulted in a 6.4% increase in year-over-year sales for Truvia," Brooks claims, "and 2.8% for Folgers."In-aisle demos allowing additional cross-marketing opportunities are intended to educate as well as deliver the Truvia experience. Brooks says a strawberry demo and booklet giveaway event held at 250 Super Target stores saw a significant increase in units sold: When combined with a temporary price reduction, these activities delivered a 78.5% and 26.3% increase in units sold, respectively, compared to the same period in 2011. In addition, a four-day demo in 579 Walmart stores generated a 52% increase in two-week unit sales of Truvia Baking Blend, compared to the prior two-week period."As a result of this promotion and supporting initiatives, all Truvia properties now are among the top 20 best sellers in the sugar substitute category, which today comprises more than 250 SKUs," Brooks says. "In the grocery channel, Truvia market share is 13.7% [for 12 weeks ending Nov. 24], up 1.7 share points from the same period last year."Retailers participating in shopper marketing efforts also include Ahold, BJ's, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Kroger, Meijer, Publix, Roundy's, Safeway, Supervalu and Wegman's.Seattle-based Creature is Truvia's creative agency. Other agency partners include Universal McCann, New York; MARS Advertising, Southfield, Minn.; Periscope, Minneapolis; and RF Binder, New York.

Truvia Filling Gaps in Product Understanding

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