Anti-Atkins orange juice ads rejected
By Susan Salisbury, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Television advertisements poking fun at low-carbohydrate diets did not sit well with consumers, so it's back to the drawing board for a better way to sell Florida orange juice.
Andy Taylor, chairman of the Florida Citrus Commission, said the ads didn't work well with focus groups convened Thursday and Friday in Cincinnati and New York.
"Once we are convinced we have an ad that will play well, we will authorize it," said Taylor, who also is vice president for finance at Peace River Citrus Products in Fort Pierce. "We are going to reconvene on Monday and take a look at new concepts."
The state's orange juice industry, faced with the biggest orange crop in history, has been taking a battering from the current craze for low-carb diets such as Atkins and South Beach. Sales of the juice have fallen 5 percent in the past three years, according to AC Nielsen data.
The Citrus Commission's ad agency, the Richards Group of Dallas, test-marketed four ads for the focus groups, which included a total of 24 consumers in each of the two cities. Three of them took an anti-Atkins approach. In one, grease from a skillet used to fry bacon and sausage was poured into a glass, as a voice-over said that some people think the grease-filled glass is healthy while a glass of orange juice is not.
In low-carb diets, high-protein foods such as meats are eaten in preference to high-carbohydrate foods such as pasta. High-sugar fruit juices also are discouraged.
The $6 million print, radio and TV campaign had been given the go-ahead by the commission Feb. 19.
"We're in the midst of looking at new creatives," said Mike Malone, creative director for the Richards Group.
Taylor said the consumers seemed confused about the message of the ads.
"Some people thought the message was 'Low-carb diets are not good for you,' while others said the key message was 'Orange juice is healthy,' " he said.
Citrus Commissioner Cody Estes Sr., president of Quality Fruit Packers in Vero Beach, said it's good that the ad approach is being tweaked.
"There is probably a more middle-ground approach out there that continues to show that orange juice is one of the healthiest foods on the planet and can be a part of any good lifelong diet," Estes said.
Taylor said that last year's ad campaign, showing harried moms getting their families off to a good start in the morning with a glass of orange juice, didn't play well with consumers, either.
"The good news is, if you want to talk about health and nutrition, we have a mile-long list of why people should be drinking orange juice," Taylor said.
Source:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/busine...eaf14d0003.html
Anti-Atkins Orange Juice Ads Rejected
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