The campaign for American Beauty Perfection Lima Beans is designed to increase consumer awareness and interest and create a more positive attitude towards lima beans in general and the American Beauty Perfection brand in particular. This approach is planned, since lima beans have a relatively small share of the bean market. The emphasis is on showing new, fun ways to use lima beans, based on the theme: Make Your Day! With Perfection Lima Beans from American Beauty.

The campaign is designed to expand the market for lima beans among consumers that are already have a high consumption level of beans – low-income families and the Hispanic market, particularly Mexican Americans, as well as promote interest among new consumers in middle-income households.

To create this excitement around lima beans, the campaign features a new colorful character, Lina the Lima Bean, to convey the message; a Perfection Lima Bean recipe book which consumers can obtain for free from the www.limabean.com Web site, and ads featuring members of the target audience enjoying lima beans in festive gatherings, such as family dinners and parties. The print ads will also feature photos of different lima bean recipes.

The initial phase of the campaign will be focused on California, and subsequent phases will expand the campaign to the West Coast and then to the whole U.S. market.

OVERVIEW

This campaign to highlight American Beauty Perfection Lima Beans as an exciting, fun product has been developed, since lima beans have traditionally been the forgotten bean, with only a small share of the larger bean market. They are not currently being advertised by American Beauty, and are essentially distributed as a commodity by the New World Pasta company, in contrast to New World’s extensively differentiated and widely promoted pasta brands. Another reason for remaking the lima bean image is that lima beans have a somewhat negative reputation as a not very interesting and even unpopular bean, reflected in the title of one kid’s book: The Lima Bean Monster and the comments of kids on one Web site that in a perfect world “lima beans would be illegal.”

Lima beans, however, have the potential for a changed, more popular image, which would contribute to increased sales among two key markets: 1) the traditional heavy consumers of beans – primarily lower and lower-middle income individuals and families and members of the Hispanic community, and 2) new users, such as middle-income housewives and family members. This new image can build on the long colorful history of lima beans, which dates back to 6000 B.C. in Peru; their healthful quality as a good source of protein, fiber, calcium, vitamins, and other nutritional benefits; and their versatility in hundreds of recipes.

Given this campaign approach of making lima beans a fun exciting product, which has increased appeal to both traditional bean consumers and new users, the emphasis is on showing interesting ways to use lima beans with other foods in a setting where people are having an enjoyable time with others, such as at a family dinner or party. To this end, the campaign theme: “Make Your Day! with American Beauty Perfection Lima Beans” has been developed. It features photos in print ads and live action scenes in TV commercials of family members enjoying lima beans in such dinner and party settings. In addition, a free Perfection Lima Beans recipe book has been developed to promote different ways to use lima beans. Also, a colorful character Lina the Lima Bean has been created, along with a bouncy Lima Bean Song, to spread the message to the two target markets identified through research on the bean market: 1) low to lower-middle income and Hispanic consumers, who already have a high consumption level for beans; and 2) middle income housewives and their families, who represent a new emerging market for beans. In both cases, the message is designed to both promote lima beans generally, since these have only a small share of the beans market, and the American Beauty Brand in particular.

To appeal to these markets, the ad campaign will include a mix of ads: TV ads on local and specialty cable programs, magazine ads, and newspaper ads in the food sections of major daily newspapers. The particular media has been selected to appeal to the two target markets noted above.

The first phase of the campaign is focused on California, and then the plan is to expand the campaign to the West Coast, and thereafter nationally, This way each campaign phase can be used to test and further refine the message, beginning with the pilot campaign in California which will provide insight for the next two campaign phases.

The following plan is divided into the following sections:

· Situation Analysis, which includes a discussion of the history of the American Beauty company, an industry analysis, market analysis, and competitor analysis;

· Objectives, which describes the campaign focus on increasing consumer awareness, interest, improving attitudes, and increasing purchase intent and sales.

· Budgeting, which shows the reach, frequency, time frame, production costs, and expenditures for media placements, promotion, and other costs.

· Message Strategy, which describes the major themes used in the advertising and the type of media selected;

· Execution, which shows samples of the print ads, TV story board, and Lima Bean song

· Evaluation, which describes the methods used to assess the success of the campaign and includes the sample questionnaires to be used in the supermarket intercepts and the telephone interviews.

A PowerPoint presentation featuring the print ads, TV storyboard, and Lima Bean Song lyrics is also included with this plan.

SITUATION ANALYSIS

Introduction

As the following analysis shows, American Beauty’s “Perfection” brand of Lima Beans is well positioned to take a leading role in both in the lima bean market as well as the general bean market. It has the potential to build on the long tradition of the American Beauty line of products and increase consumer awareness of the various ways to eat, use, and have fun with lima beans.

Historical Context

The American Beauty Company is part of the New World Pasta Company, based in Central Pennsylvania. New World Pasta is the leading dry pasta manufacturer in the United States, with nine major brands. Besides American Beauty, these are Creamette, Light ‘n Fluffy, P&R, Prince, Mrs. Weiss, Ronzoni, San Giorgio, and Skinner. New World has five manufacturing plants, which are located in Fresno, California; Omaha, Nebraska; Louisville, Kentucky; Lebanon, Pennsylvania; and Winchester, Virginia. In addition to its trademarked labels, New World Pasta supplies pasta goods produced under private label arrangements with many large chains and wholesalers. Additionally, it provides an extensive line of pasta products for sales and distribution to institutions and restaurants, and it supplies pasta products to other food companies for processing.

Within this larger family, American Beauty sells packaged lima beans under the “Perfection” brand in supermarkets. However, this product line is not mentioned on any of the New World or American Beauty web sites – perhaps because lima beans are marketed as a basic commodity, in contrast to the extensively differentiated and widely promoted pasta market. In any case, the American Beauty Pasta Company has an extensive history, since it was founded in 1916 by Rocco Sarli, an Italian immigrant, after a merger of the Kansas City Macaroni Company and the Denver Macaroni Company, which used the American Beauty name as one of its labels. Sarli decided to use the American Beauty name for the combined company.

Currently, American Beauty manufactures its products at two plant locations – one in Fresno, California, and the other in Omaha, Nebraska, and it distributes its products in all states West of the Mississippi River.

Industry Analysis

The American lima bean industry has its roots in South American, since lima beans, a flat-shaped, white colored bean with a smooth, creamy texture, originated in Peru, where they have been cultivated since 6000 B.C. The name comes from Lima, the capital city of Peru. Today, though, most lima beans in the U.S. are produced and processed within the United States, although Green Baby Lima Beans still come from Peru.[1] Most commonly, lima beans are dried, canned, or frozen, and come in two varieties: large and baby lima beans.[2] A key reason that the U.S. has become the primary producer of dry beans is because it has the most modern and technically advanced equipment for harvesting beans. It has continued to grow because of a strong commitment to research by U.S. scientists at over a dozen major universities doing dry bean research.[3].

The lima bean industry is part of the larger bean industry, which includes dry peas, beans, and lentils, but not soybeans, which are seeds. As of 2003, the U.S. dry edible bean market was a nearly $2 billion industry, with beans grown on about 2 million acres of production, concentrated primarily on in Western states of North Dakota, Michigan, Nebraska, Colorado, and Minnesota. However, lima beans are only a small part of the dry edible bean industry, compared to the more popular pinto beans, followed by navy, black, and Great Northern varieties.[4] With increased consumer awareness and interest, lima beans could attain a larger share of this industry, because of their ability to be interchanged with other beans in recipes and in non-food uses.

While most beans are grown in other areas, lima beans are grown primarily along the California coast, and other major growing areas include Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York.[5] Typically, the bean growers have arrangements to market their beans through brokers or cooperatives,[6] who supply them to the various food companies that package them in one of two forms – pre-cooked in cans or dry-packaged in sealed bags.[7]

Both the large and baby lima beans are mainly used as a side dish or added to soups and casseroles, and the main difference between them is their size. Sometimes the large beans are also called “Butter Beans.” Among the major selling points used by the industry for both lima beans and beans generally is that they are an excellent source of protein, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, calcium, potassium, and folate, one of the important B vitamins.[8]

Within the industry, there are a number of organizations that help to promote the industry. These include the following:

· The American Dry Bean Board (ADBB), which acts as a resource to provide information to American consumers and seeks to promote the increased consumption of bean products through PR programs, advertising, and research. It is made up of leaders in the bean industry, which includes bean growers, processors, and canners, and is devoted to educating U.S. consumers about the benefit of beans. To this end, it helps to spread “the good news about beans” through its website at www.americanbean.org.

· The Bean Education & Awareness Network (B.E.A.N.), which is the media arm of the ADBB. As such, it is the leading media resource center in the industry for providing consumers and the media with information about the nutritional value, good taste, and versatility of beans.

· The California Bean Shippers Association (CBSA), which is an organized comprised of members working towards a strong state, national, and international bean industry. It includes lobbyists who seek to influence decision-makers in California to support the industry, has regular meetings, and provides a delegate to the U.S. Dry Bean Convention Planning Committee, which has a meeting of the industry once a year.

· The National Dry Bean Council (NDBC), which represents the six producing regions of the United States and focuses on increasing the export market and promoting dry beans to consumers.

· The California Dry Bean Advisory Board, which provides funding for research and promoting dry beans produced in California.

Market Analysis

The United States is by far the world leader in dry bean production. Each year, U.S. farmers plant almost two million acres of edible dry beans. While Americans are the chief consumers of these beans, 40 percent are shipped to international markets in more than 100 different countries around the world. Fresh beans are classified into two basic categories: edible pod beans and shell beans. The lima bean is the most common shell bean sold in the United States (http://www.foodreference.com/html/fbeansdried.html). “Fresh lima beans are difficult to find in the United States, but can occasionally be found at farmers markets. It is easier to find lima beans in the southern United States than anywhere else in the country. Most lima beans are dried, canned, or frozen (http://www.foodreference.com/html/flimabeans.html.)”

Overall, the per capita consumption of all dry-edible beans is about 7.4 pounds a year, a figure that has been relatively stable since 1991. Within this market, the Hispanic population consumers more beans on the average than the overall population.[9] The per capita consumption of dry cooked beans is also highest for those in the lowest-income bracket, whereas those in the higher-income brackets have the lowest per capita consumption.[10] Regionally, the southern and Western states have the greatest amount of bean consumptions, with 39% and 38% of all bean consumption in the U.S. located in those two areas. A reason for this concentration is that these areas have the highest percentage of the Hispanic population in the U.S., who represent 33% of all dry-edible bean consumers, though they represent only 11% of the U.S. population.[11] Within this Hispanic group, Mexican-American consumers eat the most beans – 21% of all beans sold[12], which conforms to the popular perception reflected in the popularity of Mexican-theme restaurants such as Chili’s and Taco Bell, which prominently feature beans in many dishes on the menu.

Lima beans, along with pinto beans, are among those beans which have a greater level of consumption among lower income individuals, whereas specialty beans, such as black and garbanzo beans have a greater consumption level among higher income individuals. A key reason is that dry beans provide a relatively inexpensive source for gaining protein, compared to more expensive sources such as meat, whereas the specialty beans are used in salads, which appeal to higher income consumers, especially in the West.[13]

While Lima beans are less popular than many other types of beans, they are included in hundreds of recipes from soups to casseroles and can be a refreshing alternative to the other types of beans, such as kidney beans and lentils. The market is definitely in need of a spark to increase consumer awareness about both lima beans and the general bean market. The American Beauty dry grocery products account for only one percent of sales and a positive ad campaign for the brand’s ‘Perfection’ dry lima beans could increase this percentage. Eating beans makes for healthy bodies in these 9 important areas: circulation system, digestion system, and cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, weight control and blood (Waltonfeed.com/self/beans.html). Our ad campaign will generate ideas for current consumers to enjoy beans even more, while promoting health to all.

Competitor Analysis

The dry pasta market is highly competitive regionally, nationally, and internationally as well. The major competitors for New World Pasta in this market include the American Italian Pasta Company (AIPC) and Barilla Alimentare S.P.A.

AIPC produces branded items such as ‘Mueller’s’ and ‘Golden Grain.’ They are also a primary supplier to the largest club store chain in the United States.[14] In addition to these segments AIPC distributes products to private label brands such as ‘Albertson’s’ and ‘Publix.’ They currently have a long-term supply agreement with the largest marketer and distributor of food service products, Sysco Corporation.[15] Private label brands are currently only a small portion of the revenue for New World Pasta, which could be increased by lowering selling costs to merchants.

Barilla Alimentare S.P.A. is a tradition-based, family company that exports products to over a hundred countries. “Barilla has been a leading name in TV commercials, distinguished by their bold and innovative approach to reflect the cultural changes in Italian society.”[16] They launched a project in 1997 called ‘Number 1,’ a service company with the objective of providing efficient, modern liaison between the producers and sellers of grocery products.[17] Barilla pasta has international recognition that could be difficult to compete with. However, creating a liaison to communicate with international merchants could contribute to further international sales.

OBJECTIVES

Since the American Beauty line of dry packaged lima beans is relatively unknown in the California and West Coast area (The American Beauty line is strongest in the Phoenix/Tucson, Wichita, West Texas, Kansas City, Denver, and Salt-Lake City markets.) and dry beans have been only a small part of the company’s sales (less than 1% of sales as of 2002)[1], our objectives in this ad campaign are the following:

· To increase consumer awareness of and interest in both lima beans generally and the American Beauty brand in particular, since only a relatively small amount of shelf space is given to lima beans relative to other types of beans. Also, this brand is relatively unknown in the California and West Coast markets;

· To encourage consumers to feel more positive towards the use of lima beans generally and the American Beauty brand in particular, since lima beans have traditionally been seen as a relatively dull, prosaic product where even kids describe a perfect world as one in which “lima beans would be illegal.”

· To increase the purchase intent of consumers, so they are more interested in buying lima beans and particularly American Beauty brand lima beans, since lima beans are only a very small segment of the total beans market.

· To increase sales of the American Beauty brand of lima beans.

Quantitative Benchmarks, Measurement Methods, and Criteria for Success

Our quantitative benchmarks for measuring success in achieving these objectives are based on using pre-campaign research to establish a baseline level for awareness, attitudes, purchase intent, and sales of American Beauty lima beans. Then, the same questionnaire or research method will be used after the campaign to determine impact.

The following pre and post-campaign comparisons will be made based on each of the objectives stated above. The criteria for success will be a particular percentage increase based on this pre and post-campaign comparison.

· To increase the pre and post-campaign awareness of consumers of American Beauty lima beans by 25%, based on using supermarket intercepts of consumers and asking them about their awareness of this and other control products.

· To increase the positive attitude of consumers towards both lima beans and the American Beauty lima bean brand by 25%, based on using supermarket intercepts of consumers and asking them about their attitudes, opinions, and beliefs about lima beans and about the American beauty brand.

· To increase the purchase intent of consumers towards buying lima beans in general and the American Beauty brand in particular by 10%, based on using telephone interviews with a stratified sampling of consumers in the demographics targeted by the ad campaign – women in low and middle-income families and women in the Hispanic community.

· To increase sales of the American Beauty lima beans in grocery stores in the campaign area by 10%, based on company sales data from major grocery stores in this area.

Time Frame

The campaign will be conducted over a 2-month period, with the pre-campaign research conducted in the month prior to the campaign and the post-campaign research conducted immediately after it. It is expected that the pre-campaign research will be conducted in two weeks, and the post-campaign research in two weeks, with the final analysis of the results and report available in two weeks after that.

MESSAGE STRATEGY

Given the objectives of increasing consumer awareness and interest and creating a more positive attitude towards lima beans and the American Beauty Perfection brand to increase purchase intent and sales, the message strategy is designed to make lima beans a more interesting, exciting, fun product. The emphasis, therefore, is on showing new, fun ways to use lima beans, such as with a variety of lima bean recipes, and showing lima beans being used as part of a fun social occasion that would appeal to the target consumer market for these beans. In keeping with this upbeat message, the ads will feature a mix of humor, slogans and jingles, cartoon characters, lima bean recipe books, and novelty tie-in products, such as buttons, posters, kids books, and toys based on the lima bean characters to generate enthusiasm. In addition, some in-store demonstrations of these lima-bean recipes will be set up to coordinate with the advertising campaign in selected cities.

These ads will include a mix of these approaches to appeal to the two target markets – low income and Hispanic heavy bean users and middle income housewives and women with families who represent new users:

· TV ads on local or specialty cable programs designed to appeal to the target market, such as ads on home shopping programs and on Hispanic TV, and daytime TV programming directed towards women.

· Magazine ads in publications appealing to low and lower-middle income women and Hispanic women, and general interest women’s magazines.

· Newspaper ads in the food sections of the major daily papers in Northern and Southern California.

The copy and art in both the print and TV ads will feature the lima bean characters, along with images of people using the lima beans in fun ways, close ups of new lima bean recipes, and offers to obtain the recipe books and novelty tie-in products at low-cost through sending in a coupon by mail. The TV ads will additionally include the lima bean jingles. The people featured in the photos and TV shots will be representative of the consumers in these target markets to promote identification with those shown using the product.

Radio will not be used in this campaign, because of the importance of visuals in conveying the message of the lima bean characters and the use of the product. Also, the target markets for this product – low, lower-middle, and middle income women and Hispanic women – are more likely to look to TV, magazines, and newspapers for information rather than radio.

Following are examples of storyboards, ad copy and layouts, recipe books, novelty tie-in products, and songs used in executing this campaign. The photos in this initial set of ads have been chosen to appeal primarily to the middle income housewives and women with families, so they show such families in dinner and party settings.

EXECUTION

Following are examples of the print ads we plan to run in magazines and newspapers and magazines and the story board of the TV ad we plan to run on TV. The TV storyboard shows the full 60 second commercial planned for some media; the 30 second commercial will include fewer verses.

Also, included is the lyrics song sheet with the music that accompanies the lyrics, which are featured in the TV ad storyboard in the box to the right of the storyboard of each illustration, The illustration suggests the scene to be filmed.

These print ads and storyboards are also available in PowerPoint formats, and the music for the lyrics is available on a CD in Windows Media Player (wma) and Real Media Player (rm) file formats.

LIMA BEAN – MAKE YOUR DAY SONG

Verse 1 We’ll make your day and make it fun

Just pull out a pot and the fun’s begun.

Verse 2 Got great recipes that you can make.

Add sauce and spice or boil and bake.

Verse 3 Yeah, invite the family and friends for a treat.

We’ve got a great taste and are healthy to eat.

Chorus: Yeah, let lima beans make your day.

However you use them to eat or play.

I’m Lina the Lima Bean, here to say:

Get Perfection in your life ev’ryday.

EVALUATION

The evaluation is designed to measure how well the advertising campaign has achieved the following objectives:

· To increase consumer awareness of and interest in both lima beans generally and the American Beauty Perfection brand in particular,

· To encourage consumers to feel more positive towards the use of lima beans generally and the American Beauty Perfection brand in particular.

· To increase the purchase intent of consumers, so they are more interested in buying lima beans and particularly American Beauty Perfection brand lima beans,

· To increase sales of the American Beauty Perfection brand of lima beans.

To this end we will use pre- and post-campaign comparisons to measure the change in consumer awareness, positive attitudes, and purchase intent before and after the campaign. To make this comparison, we will use the same questionnaire on a stratified random sample of consumers who are in the target market for the campaign – namely low and lower-middle income consumers, Hispanic consumers, and middle income housewives and working women with families.

The criteria for success will be the following percentage increases in awareness, positive attitude, purchase intent, and sales in the pre and post-campaign comparisons.

· To increase the pre and post-campaign awareness of consumers of American Beauty Perfection lima beans by 25%, based on using supermarket intercepts of consumers and asking them about their awareness of this and other control products.

· To increase the positive attitude of consumers towards both lima beans and the American Beauty Perfection lima bean brand by 25% based on using supermarket intercepts of consumers and asking them about their attitudes, opinions, and beliefs about lima beans and about the American Beauty Perfection brand.

· To increase the purchase intent of consumers towards buying lima beans in general and the American Beauty Perfection brand in particular by 10%, based on using telephone interviews with a stratified sampling of consumers.

· An increase in sales of the American Beauty Perfection lima beans in grocery stores in the campaign area by 10% based on company sales data from major grocery stores.

The following questionnaires will be used in the comparison tests of awareness, positive attitude, and purchase intent. A single questionnaire will be used to measure both current awareness and attitudes, since the same supermarket intercept technique will be used with consumers entering and leaving a supermarket, and using a single questionnaire to measure both will cut down on the time and costs of implementing the survey. Purchase intention will be done with a separate questionnaire, since this will be based on telephone interviews about future purchase behavior. No questionnaire is included to measure sales, since the sales figures will be obtained by reviewing the company sales data, and a table will be created to measure pre and post campaign performance, based on the categories provided for in the company sales data for American Beauty Perfection Lima Beans and for other products which have not been advertised.

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR CONSUMER AWARENESS AND ATTITUDES

(TO BE USED IN CUSTOMER INTERCEPTS AT SUPERMARKETS IN LOW

TO MIDDLE INCOME AREAS AND IN HISPANIC NEIGHBORHOODS

Hello, I’m doing a survey for ______________________, and I’d like to ask you a few questions about beans. It’ll take just a couple of minutes.

1. Have you ever bought lima beans? Y N

1a. If yes, how often have you bought lima beans?

1-2 times in the past year ____

3-5 times in the past year ____

6-11 times in the past year____

12 or more times in the past year_____

1b Which type of lima beans have you bought?

Cooked beans in a can ____

Dried beans in a package____

Both cooked beans and dried beans____

2. When I list the following brands of lima beans, can you tell me which you are familiar with:

Del Monte F NF

American Beauty F NF

Barilla Alimentare F NF

Supermarket Brand F NF

Name________________ F NF

Other:

Name:________________ F NF

3. What is your opinion of lima beans generally?

Very positive _____

Somewhat positive ____

Neutral____

Somewhat negative____

Very negative_____

3a: What is your reason for feeling that way about lima beans?

_______________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

4. How would you rate each of the following brands of lima beans on a scale of 0 to 5. If you have never heard of the brand, tell me that, too.

Brand	Rating
Del Monte	0	1	2	3	4	5	DK
American Beauty	0	1	2	3	4	5	DK
Barilla Alimentare	0	1	2	3	4	5	DK
Supermarket Brand	0	1	2	3	4	5	DK

5. Finally, so I can categorize your response, can you tell me the following:

5a. Your age group:

21-29____

30-39____

40-49____

50 and over_____

5b. Whether you’re married____ or single______

5c. How many children in your household, if any.

None____

1-2 ____

3-4 ____

5 or more_____

6. (Now indicate the person’s gender) Female_____ Male_______

7. (Now indicate whether the intercept is before the person has gone into the supermarket or after he or she has come out after shopping)

Before entry____

After shopping____

Thank you for your participation in this survey.

[1] New World Pasta Annual Report for 2002, filed with the SEC (www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/webusers/htm)