The Offer: In a pitch to make Illinois-based Fisher Nuts the snack of choice at baseball stadiums, the brand teamed up with Illinois grocery chain Jewel-Osco and the latter’s agency, Blue Chip Marketing Worldwide, for the season-long “Freshness You Can Win” sweepstakes. Every time the Chicago Cubs and the White Sox, notorious rivals, win on the same day, Fisher Nuts will donate $500 to the teams’ chosen charities. But win or lose Cubs and Sox fans will be rewarded throughout the season with a variety of potential prizes, large and small.
The Data: Fisher Nuts peanuts are sold at the Cubs’ home base, Wrigley Field, and the Sox’s U.S. Cellular Field. The brand is a long-time sponsor of both teams. Sweeps prizes include everything from free tickets or an invitation to watch pregame batting practice to $50 Jewel-Osco gift cards or free Fisher Nuts snacks and T-shirts.
The Channel: Though there is no purchase necessary to win, shoppers who buy Fisher Nuts products using their “Jewel-Osco Preferred Customer Card” are automatically entered. Alternatively, fans can enter through shippers and in-store coupon tear-pads. The campaign also includes radio spots.
The Creative: “Freshness You Can Win” is a play on Fisher’s new slogan, “Freshness You Can See,” conceived to promote its new clear packaging.
The Verdict:
Yuchun Lee is VP of enterprise marketing management at IBM Industry Solutions and also serves on the DMA‘s board of directors. Lee, founder of Unica (now part of IBM), began his first software company while still in high school. He was also a member of MIT’s notorious blackjack team. Read our Q&A with Yuchun for more.
Although Fisher Nuts is appealing to customers via America’s favorite pastime, ultimately it seems a bit convoluted. The campaign seems to be doing too much at once. The more confusing a campaign is, the less likely consumers will engage. It could be strengthened through a more apparent social media angle.
