Canned Food Alliance Boosts Nutritional Perception

 

In the mid 1980s, the North American steel industry witnessed a decline in sales of the steel used in food cans. The industry discovered it was fighting a growing public perception that canned food was nutritionally inferior to fresh and frozen foods, if not devoid of value. Ketchum was charged with implementing a public and influencer relations campaign to alter the negative perceptions young women with children had about canned food and teach them that they could meet the nutrition needs of their growing families with the great taste and versatility of canned food.

 

Ketchum created an elaborate and effective public relations program designed to reach and educate key influencers and consumers about the nutrition benefits of canned food. The approach integrated traditional and new media relations, celebrity chefs, nutrition and culinary experts, word of mouth and consumer interaction on a dedicated Web site to convey CFA’s messages, which were born out of research conducted by reputable universities. The effort evolved into a multi-industry program under the auspices of the Canned Food Alliance (CFA), reaching women 25 to 40 via the Web with consistent, credible messaging. The CFA program includes a series of “Consistent Confirmation” activities, including weekly dinnertime e-mails to registered www.mealtime.org Web site subscribers and frequent visitor loyalty programs.

 

The long-term effects show significant spikes in key benchmark results with perceptions of canned versus fresh food increasing positively by 3.8% from 1997 to 2005 (31.7% to 35.5%). From 1997 to 2005, the pattern of canned versus frozen remained stable at 54% and 53.4% respectively, with a peak in 2001 of 56.6%.

 

Since 2002, the program’s efforts have achieved the following: