McCain Meals, the world’s largest producer of frozen potato merchandise, not too long ago reached a milestone in its objective of implementing regenerative farming practices. Nevertheless, the 68-year-old firm noticed an consciousness hole: Whereas 98% of U.S. and Canadian shoppers eat fries, lower than 1 in 10 perceive the idea of regenerative agriculture.
To convey its mission to the mainstream, McCain in February launched its first world marketing campaign, “Style Good. Really feel Good.” The trouble spans creator content material, advert spots and in-person experiences. It additionally contains an augmented actuality (AR) sport the place shoppers could make fries utilizing sustainable farming methods to earn rewards. Since launch, over 77 million digital fries have been ready by gamers, who’re spending a median of four-and-a-half minutes with the cell web-based sport.
The necessity to educate shoppers on regenerative agriculture is evident, with 57% of People and 67% of Canadians eager to be taught extra in regards to the topic, in keeping with a brand-commissioned YouGov survey. Creating entertaining experiences just like the AR sport helps guarantee individuals can construct their know-how in a digestible manner, defined McCain Chief Innovation and Advertising Officer Christine Kalvenes.
“No one needs to be preached at, no one needs to be talked to, and definitely not talked right down to,” mentioned Kalvenes, who stepped into the C-suite in September after serving as McCain’s world head of innovation and advertising. “But when you may make it partaking, for those who can meet shoppers the place they’re at, for those who can provide them one thing enjoyable to do and make it related and put meals of their mouth on the similar time, the training comes alongside for the experience.”
Fries of the long run
Personal, family-owned McCain has dedicated to implementing regenerative farming practices throughout the entire acreage used to develop its potatoes by 2030, and has now helped 71% of its farmers attain the onboarding degree of the McCain Regenerative Agriculture Framework. McCain operates commercial-scale hubs for analysis, which it calls Farms of the Future, to check and scale regenerative practices to help growers.
“Style Good. Really feel Good.” is supposed to convey the farm-to-fry expertise to life, a objective it used as inspiration for its Farms of the Future AR sport. Gamers can scan a QR code to be transported into the farming expertise, the place they are going to get an outline of the right way to farm potatoes the regenerative manner. Shoppers can earn prizes, together with gadgets constituted of upcycled and recycled supplies, free fries or a farm-themed getaway relying on what number of fries they make throughout the sport.
“The sport takes you thru this academic journey of soil well being and reg ag and also you don’t even notice by the tip of it, you realize what reg ag is and why it’s necessary,” Kalvenes mentioned.
McCain beforehand experimented with gaming, making a Roblox expertise in 2022 across the launch of its Regen Fries, a limited-time providing made with potatoes cultivated by means of regenerative farming strategies. The activation had gamers develop digital potatoes by means of farming strategies that enhance soil well being. Shoppers spent roughly the identical period of time with the Roblox expertise because the newer AR sport.
“The distinction right here is now we’re on a platform the place we might be wherever the patron is, every time they wish to have interaction in sport play, and the truth that now they’re not in a captive setting, they’re truly out strolling round and nonetheless spending 4 and a half minutes with the sport … we’re feeling fairly good about that,” Kalvenes mentioned.
McCain introduced again its Regen Fries to North America as a limited-time providing for its newest effort and invited shoppers to expertise Farms of the Future at a pop-up occasion in New York that lasted from Feb. 27 to March 1. That occasion additionally included a Fries of the Future Cafe serving free fries and recipes impressed by sustainability advocate Rachel Brosnahan, chef Kolby Kash and “potato queen” and chef Poppy O’Toole. The model additionally hosted experiences within the U.Ok. in March and April.
O’Toole and Kash are a part of influencer activations spanning the U.S., U.Ok. and Canada, together with that includes in a 30-second spot selling Regen Fries that additionally seems as a sequence of 15-second cutdowns.
McCain teamed with Gravity Street on its world marketing campaign, whereas AR immersive expertise associate Rock Paper Actuality produced the Farms of the Future sport. The sport is accessible by way of QR code on a microsite, and McCain additionally promoted the expertise at its occasions in New York and London. Moreover, the model positioned the QR code in an advert that ran within the New York Instances on Feb. 27.
Sustainably pushed
McCain’s newest push comes as shoppers stay loyal to what’s thought-about to be some of the well-liked meals gadgets in America. The worldwide frozen french fries market was valued at $23.5 billion in 2023 and is anticipated to develop to $36.5 billion by 2033, per Reality.MR analysis.
Nevertheless, U.S. shoppers within the close to time period are more and more involved about their monetary standing as recessionary fears loom. Although the typical client is just not particularly deal-oriented when purchasing for McCain fries — the product wouldn’t be categorized as an impulse purchase — the model isn’t any much less susceptible to cost sensitivity than others within the client packaged items class, Kalvenes defined.
“Fries are a staple of a meal, so they have an inclination to make the grocery record, however like all CPG kind of product, there’s worth sensitivity, there’s worth for the cash, and there’s model loyalty and dedication to a model,” the exec mentioned.
McCain’s concentrate on sustainability is a method the model asserts its worth, supported by progress reviews and different informative efforts. For others trying to make sustainability part of their messaging, Kalvenes stresses the significance of going deeper than a advertising marketing campaign. Manufacturers have more and more been known as out for greenwashing when their promoting doesn’t align with precise environmental efforts.
“It’s meaningless to speak for those who’re not placing your cash the place your mouth is, and also you’re not standing behind your commitments,” Christine mentioned. “That’s the impetus for driving any type of communication — are you really standing behind what you’re saying you’re doing, and is it a related message to your shoppers?”
“Style Good. Really feel Good.” comes as Kalvenes approaches her second yr as McCain’s chief marketer. Earlier than becoming a member of the model, she held main roles with SC Johnson, PepsiCo Meals Canada and Frito-Lay. Kalvenes’ plans for yr two embody leveraging synthetic intelligence (AI) to simplify duties like reaching a broader viewers and crafting extra related messaging. The plan is to have AI instruments in place by the tip of the yr. Past that, Kalvenes is strategizing extra methods to suit into shoppers’ lives, together with by means of an elevated concentrate on OOH events.
“Being the world’s largest french fry producer, we’re in numerous out-of-home events, and shoppers don’t know that we’re your out-of-home fry,” Kalvenes mentioned. “We’re trying to drive extra engagement alternatives like this, the place we might be in the mean time of consumption and actually spend time with our loyalists that manner. We’re additionally trying on the proper innovation for these events.”
