merit
A growing population of Americans identify as “Flexitarians”: they lead with a whole-food, plant-based diet while occasionally partaking in meat and fish. Our goal with the Proud Prune Lover campaign was to make Flexitarian consumers aware of—and excited about—Sunsweet prunes, both as both a superfruit snack and an ingredient in sweet and savory recipes.
To do this, we also had to confront perception barriers around prunes. The concept of proud prune lovers tackled awareness and perception in one go: by showing how proud prune lovers shamelessly speak out on prunes as a culinary staple, we made it socially more acceptable—and maybe even cool!—to give them a try. By making their fandom super-specific right down to the recipe, we taught others how to use them.
We segmented campaign messaging across the digital ecosystem to match our target's eating habits and product preferences, reaching them where they live, work, and play.
For over a century, Sunsweet has been the leading producer of prunes and prune juice. For much of that time, prunes have been known as a time-tested digestive aid for an older generation, when in fact they’re a nutritious powerhouse for every age. As popular culture turns toward wellness and celebrating superfoods like kale and avocados, we knew there was room for prunes, too.
Barker was tasked with developing a campaign targeting Flexitarians, the health-conscious eaters who aren't full-on vegetarians but who are choiceful with when and how they consume meat. Given their interest in their overall health and their curiosity about plant-based foods, we knew Flexitarians would be excited about a delicious, convenient, and nutritious plant-based snack that not only satisfies their dietary preferences but also offers the essential nutrients they need—especially if they saw it not just as a snack, but an ingredient, too.
We cracked the brief with no-holds-barred positivity. We served our joyful, colorful, loud-and-proud perspective to the Flexitarian consumer in a targeted way, meeting them with the benefits of prunes and ideas on exactly how to enjoy them.
Thanks to our insights on the Flexitarian consumer, we activated proven, highly efficient digital channels, leveraging robust programmatic and proprietary targeting capabilities and showing up for our audience across screens and devices with video, native, display and social content.To further amplify the campaign, we tapped a number of key influencers to create scroll-stopping content and authentically promote the benefits of prunes & prune juice in specific recipes.
The Flexitarian campaign surpassed goals with +49M impressions delivered to date, resulting in +1.7M total interactions. What’s more, we’re seeing a positive impact where it matters most: on shelf, with sales on D’Noir Prunes up 6.2% YoY.
Negative cultural bias: It’s important to note that most Americans are somewhat prune-averse. Prunes are generally considered “old people” food, and because they’re a dried fruit, they can feel a little mysterious or less “fresh” than their superfood counterparts.
California health halo: Sunsweet is a grower-owned cooperative that’s been based in California for over 100 years. Because American consumers associate California with sunshine and freshness (it’s where a lot of great produce is grown!), we had the benefit of tapping into California’s health halo, positioning prunes as fresh and vibrant to consumers across the country.
