Philip Morris Cos.' Kraft Foods Inc. and StarKist Foods Inc. this week launched the Big Tuna Kahuna promotion, focusing on recipes, nutrition and convenience to create awareness online for the salad dressing, mayonnaise and tuna brands.
Developed and executed by Promotions.com, New York, the sweepstakes push at www.bigtunakahuna.com touts Kraft's Miracle Whip Salad Dressing, Kraft Mayo Real Mayonnaise and StarKist Tuna. It targets mothers in their early 30s.
“They're looking to communicate with the ultimate end-user,” said Chris Bragas, head of the custom solutions group at Promotions.com. “Earlier, you had to rely on focus groups and supermarkets. That gap is bridging in a very huge way. Ultimately, they're moving to create that deep brand loyalty with the consumer.”
The Big Tuna Kahuna effort is part of a series of online promotions by Kraft Foods, Northfield, IL, in conjunction with Promotions.com. Previous promotions supported Kraft Parmesan Cheese and Gevalia coffee, among others.
In the current promotion, the sweepstakes offers crucial online support to an elaborate marketing campaign for the three brands. Specially marked packages of Miracle Whip and Kraft Mayo are intended to drive consumers to the online promotion. A cents-off freestanding insert in major newspapers distributed to 40 million households will feature the URL.
Banner ads on MiracleWhip.com, StarKist.com and Supermarket.com will also plug the sweepstakes, which is scheduled to run through Dec. 31.
Consumers who enter the promotion are eligible to win prizes, including the grand prize of a seven-day, expenses-paid family vacation for four in Hawaii. Other prizes include 500 inflatable chairs, 500 Hawaiian shirts, 500 Charlie inflatable rafts and 1,000 Charlie baby beanbag toys.
To participate, consumers must enter their e-mail address and register — the crown jewel of this exercise for Kraft. Once registered, consumers type in the ingredient that makes their tuna salad special. The consumer is then automatically entered in the sweepstakes.
The promotion aims “to build the database of consumers,” Bragas said.
Promotions.com is working on similar online fall promotions for three undisclosed Kraft brands, strengthening a relationship with the nation's largest packaged foods marketer.
“I think you're starting to see a trend where these larger packaged goods companies are starting to move online and shift big dollars to their online promotions,” said Unity Stoakes, head of marketing at Promotions.com.
