The Extreme 'Baby Carrots' Ads: Will They Work?
By: Stepfanie Romine,
DailySpark Blogger
9/14/2010 12:01 PM
: 133 comments
: 13,844 Views
Last week, Coach Nicole sent me a link to this video. That morning, I had driven past a large orange billboard near our office. "So what if our name doesn't end in 'itos'?" it read. As I drove past, I also caught a glimpse of the words "baby carrots."
After a bit of research online, I learned that Bugs' favorite treat is getting an extreme makeover. "An alliance of 50 carrot farmers is investing an initial $25 million" to market the crunchy snacks. A big-name advertising company is creating splashy billboards, TV, social media/online ads, and new packaging that will make carrots look like junk food. Plus, they plan carrot vending machines in schools. The push to make carrots the No. 1 snack in America isn't only about our waistlines. It's also about the bottom line: The farmers hope to double the $1 billion carrot market in the next couple of years or so, according to the Associated Press.
The carrots have a Facebook account, Twitter feed and a homepage, upon which they say:
"A BUNCH OF CARROT FARMERS™ is made up of, well, a bunch of carrot farmers. Our mission: To get folks to eat more carrots. Then get their friends to eat more carrots. Then get their friends' friends to eat more carrots. And so on and so forth, until carrots are the official favorite food of everyone, everywhere.
"Powerfully crunchy. Subtly sweet. Gloriously versatile. Mischievously addictive. Perfectly orange. What more could you possibly want in a food? Nothing...the answer is nothing.
"If you fancy yourself a loud and proud Carrot Farmer — whether your harvest yields one pound or one million — join the crusade to make carrots the most demanded and universally loved food on earth."
That leads me to some questions…
Does the flashy packaging matter to you?
Will you be more likely to eat baby carrots--really just big carrots whittled to a diminutive size--than you are now if they're in clever packages?
And will the cost at the supermarket rise?
Right now, a pound of organic baby carrots is $1.99 at my supermarket; conventional ones run between 99 cents and $1.99, depending on the week. (Conventional carrots cost 99 cents to $1.23 a pound in bulk.)
What effect do you think this will have on kids' eating habits? Will kids be more likely to reach for carrots if there's a hardcore marketing campaign behind them?
After a bit of research online, I learned that Bugs' favorite treat is getting an extreme makeover. "An alliance of 50 carrot farmers is investing an initial $25 million" to market the crunchy snacks. A big-name advertising company is creating splashy billboards, TV, social media/online ads, and new packaging that will make carrots look like junk food. Plus, they plan carrot vending machines in schools. The push to make carrots the No. 1 snack in America isn't only about our waistlines. It's also about the bottom line: The farmers hope to double the $1 billion carrot market in the next couple of years or so, according to the Associated Press.
The carrots have a Facebook account, Twitter feed and a homepage, upon which they say:
"A BUNCH OF CARROT FARMERS™ is made up of, well, a bunch of carrot farmers. Our mission: To get folks to eat more carrots. Then get their friends to eat more carrots. Then get their friends' friends to eat more carrots. And so on and so forth, until carrots are the official favorite food of everyone, everywhere.
"Powerfully crunchy. Subtly sweet. Gloriously versatile. Mischievously addictive. Perfectly orange. What more could you possibly want in a food? Nothing...the answer is nothing.
"If you fancy yourself a loud and proud Carrot Farmer — whether your harvest yields one pound or one million — join the crusade to make carrots the most demanded and universally loved food on earth."
That leads me to some questions…
Does the flashy packaging matter to you?
Will you be more likely to eat baby carrots--really just big carrots whittled to a diminutive size--than you are now if they're in clever packages?
And will the cost at the supermarket rise?
Right now, a pound of organic baby carrots is $1.99 at my supermarket; conventional ones run between 99 cents and $1.99, depending on the week. (Conventional carrots cost 99 cents to $1.23 a pound in bulk.)
What effect do you think this will have on kids' eating habits? Will kids be more likely to reach for carrots if there's a hardcore marketing campaign behind them?
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Comments
But even so, it was half the price of one frappachino and lots better for us.If they can package veggies in grab and go containers, that would be great. (I wonder if I have carrots in the fridge?) - 5/31/2012 9:32:42 AM
There was a thing on the news the other night of a HS somewhere, I can't remember where, but they only sell little packages of baby carrots in the vending machines, 3 different sizes with 3 prices. They showed asking the kids if they'd buy the carrots over junk food and they said "Yes, they'd buy the baby carrots because they were cheaper". - 9/18/2010 8:50:19 PM
However, having access to really nice, REAL baby carrots (not machined) makes it impossible for me to buy them from the grocery store. The machined ones are just big carrots that have been made to look little.
Real baby carrots are wonderful - & really do meet the adverts...sweet & crunchy! A great snack! - 9/16/2010 7:28:43 AM
I'll stick to buying the regular kind though, you peel off any bad stuff. - 9/15/2010 9:59:38 PM
- Karen - 9/15/2010 8:58:04 PM
Please excuse my obvious tone....not meant to offend just to make my point.
Advertising the carrots in every medium is key. And sure, it's all about the bottom line for the farmers, that's business. The other side of this, is a wonderful thing for the general population. A VEGETABLE is going to be mass marketed! Carrots, a part of more lunch boxes and more snack times. Imagine that. And they've been here all along. Actually growing! Growing in the earth's rich soil! Not a manufactured, chemical laden, sugar filled or coated, artifially colored or sweetened, unhealthy product adding to the obesity epidemic in this country. Produce. Carrots. Grown in the USA. Just imagine that. - 9/15/2010 5:32:13 PM
Even apple dippers have to have dip , kids are rarely experiencing REAL food and that is thanks to all the hype and advertising that other STUFF is healthy. Way too bad. - 9/15/2010 3:42:38 PM
I hope that the cost doesn't rise. But I do think that advanced marketing campaigns like this will work for children. I've seen the commercials that come on during kids' shows, and they're pretty disturbingly saturated with Pizza Roll commercials with lots of flash, and with plenty of insinuation that it's perfectly normal to eat a big old plate of pizza rolls as a meal (or worse - snack). There's one with two pre-teen girls that are RIDICULOUSLY skinny sitting on the counter talking about all they eat are pizza rolls, their favorite.
So, carrots, go get 'em!
Jocelyn - 9/15/2010 11:45:02 AM
Now, if that includes dip then not so much. Also, if the advertising is going to raise the prices of the carrots then I am not a fan. - 9/15/2010 11:20:15 AM
About baby carrots vs. regular reading comments has got me thinking. I always just ate baby ones cause I eat a lot of carrots and other crudites and it was always easy. Now I'm thinkin I might switch over to the regular carrots. I never thought of baby ones as altered food but I may have to rethink that. - 9/15/2010 11:14:48 AM
I saw a post above, and it reminded me that I too used to love my grandparents carrots right out of the garden. I could hardly wait to go help my grandma thin them so that I could have the "baby" ones!! - 9/15/2010 10:24:15 AM
http://www.michaelcutlerco.com/wp/b
log/w
hy-do-baby-carrots-sometimes-tur
n-white/
It is simply a rumor, yet another way to scare people.
Will you refuse to swim in public swimming pools because of the chlorine content? I mean, if you're worried about a tiny bit that might be in a little carrot, aren't you worried about submersing yourself entirely in a much higher concentrated substance? You might absorb it through your skin or, "Oh no!", you might even swallow a little. If it would kill you, it wouldn't be allowed in public pools. Common sense, people!
Not trying to cause conflict, just showing you the other side of the spectrum! :) - 9/15/2010 10:18:22 AM
If their friends think it's "trendy" then the kids will do it. If their friends think it's "geeky" then the kids won't do it.
Unless you home-school, strictly control who your children have as friends and get the television out of the house completely, they're going to see all the ads and hear all about the "cool" stuff and leave the "good for you but not so cool" stuff in the dust.
Just my two cents. - 9/15/2010 10:07:14 AM
I haven't eaten one since. - 9/15/2010 10:02:00 AM
PS: I don't think organic baby carrots are coated with chlorine. - 9/15/2010 9:21:25 AM
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