Galaxy Nutritional Foods has named Engauge its first-ever full-service agency of record as part of a rebranding strategy for its Veggie brand of soy-based cheese alternative.
Engauge is doing consumer research and developing integrated campaigns for the Veggie relaunch and for Galaxy’s other natural and organic food lines. The new campaign, slated for September, will incorporate traditional print and PR as well as online ads, a revamped GalaxyFoods.com Web site and social networking on sites like Twitter. The agency’s Orlando, FL office is leading the account.
“We were excited to work with Engauge not only for their CPG experience but also their background in both traditional and emerging media,” said Hilary Taube, VP of marketing for Galaxy Nutritional Foods. “Galaxy hasn’t worked with a full-service agency in the past — only PR and media buying — so Engauge’s offer of national resources with a local presence was also important for us. The driver in hiring an agency was really to take our marketing to the next level, reach consumers, encourage trial and educate them on the benefits of our products.”
Barb Scherer, president of Engauge’s Florida office, added that the agency’s expertise in repositioning brands also made it a great fit for Galaxy.
Galaxy’s earlier marketing strategies relied heavily on PR and traditional print, as well as some event marketing. Almost all of it was handled in-house. Moving to a multichannel, social approach should help boost brand awareness and educate consumers, Scherer said.
“With social networking you’re really talking directly and having conversations one-on-one with consumers and having them talk to each other,” she explained. “We’re hoping to make them more aware of the products and benefits on a social networking level because we find that this consumer, who has an active lifestyle, is integrating social networking into everything she’s doing. We’re really trying to reach them where they live so we fit into their lives.”
Core consumers are women 35 or older who are open to alternative and soy-based food products. Scherer said that, originally, campaign ideas were focused on mothers, who are the primary decision makers for grocery shopping, but further research showed that women in general would be a prime target.
Engauge won the account with no formal review process, though Taube she had been looking at Engauge and other, local agencies for about a year before choosing Engauge.
