2020 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Challenges and Goals
Bread. No matter how you slice it, it’s not just one of the most boring consumer categories, but one that’s cluttered with beige, relying on grains and claims to appeal to consumers and build share of basket. If Dave’s Killer Bread followed that playbook, it’d get lost amongst the loaves, and with virtually no consumer awareness, a non-existent traditional media spend, and a risk of being d-listed at some retailers. Instead, it needed a disruptive idea that would catch attention and, ultimately, change behaviour. An idea that leveraged the brand’s strategy to ‘rebel ordinary’ to generate conversation on a nimble budget.

Insights and Strategy
While most brands would launch in mass channels like TV and OOH, Dave’s Killer Bread took a decidedly different approach. Rooted in the brand’s backstory, it created a one-of-a-kind pop-up – Club Fed. Aimed at disarming guests through humour and humanity, the design of Club Fed was as purposeful as the idea itself.

Execution
Through the unique lens of its previously incarcerated founder, Dave Dahl, Club Fed invited affluent foodies to not just break bread but the silence on a rarely talked about subject – recidivism. This white-collar prison themed restaurant featured a themed menu, designed by Top Chef and advocate Marc Thuet, that was cooked and served by ex-cons.

A visitor’s area allowed consumers to pick up a phone to hear from real ex-cons, a commissary served take-out, a solitary dining room served meals through a slot in the wall, and an explorable cell gave diners the chance to experience life on the inside. Not only did Club Fed encourage guests to send messages of hope to those incarcerated, but all proceeds went to charities focused on reintegration.

Results
Despite being in only one market for two weeks – in the dead of winter – the story went national. Club Fed propelled Dave’s story, and the brand, into headlines across Canada with over 40 million earned impressions across 63 pieces of coverage, exceeding the benchmark by 218%.

People who saw geotargeted ads inviting them to stop into Club Fed were 43% more likely to break bread. And those who braved the cold loved it, with 96% rating the experience an excellent fit with the brand.

It wasn’t just the immediate success of Club Fed that touched Canadians, but in the end, one of the cooks gained full-time employment under Chef Thuet – his first job after 26 years behind bars.

But Club Fed didn’t just garner impressions, it drove results. Dollar share within packaged organic bread grew 15 points in Toronto in the YTD period ending after the program was in-market, with share peaking during the two weeks of the January activation, compared to any period in 2019. Overall sales grew 40%, with 92% of sales attributed to base volume. Best of all, a 50% lift in purchase intent turned into a sales increase of 30% – exceeding the benchmark by 300% and securing the highest lift in the brand’s history.

Credits

Agency: Mosaic North America

VP, Executive Creative Director: Jess Willis
Associate Creative Director, Art Director: Sara Vinten
Copywriter: Gillian Newing
Designer: Jazmin Lihou

PR / Influencer: Erin Del Giudice & Allison Johnson
Senior Strategist: Lavana Pauk
Director of Insights / Measurement: Jara Ulbrych
Project Manager: Jess Disipio

Fabrication: 4xm

Editor: Andrew Hamilton
Film Production: Roaming Focus

Senior Account Director: Chris Desjardins
Account Managers: Brian Scarcello & Melissa Moroney

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Client: Weston Foods Canada

Head of Marketing, Weston Foods: Nicole Pekerman
Brand Manager, Weston Foods: Rachel Leung
Social Media, PR and Digital Marketing Manager, Weston Foods: Christine Worrall