Lance Snacks bets big on radio
Lance’s ‘I got Lance’ campaign includes a radio campaign, in-store marketing and coupon deals. The company will kick-start a second phase in January 2015 across radio, online and in-store.
Tommy Ingram, senior brand director at Lance Snacks, said marketing research with Nielsen had pinpointed radio as an ideal communication platform for the brand.
“What we learned was that radio was a key component of not only informing our consumers but also reaching them in the most effective way,” he told BakeryandSnacks.com.
Most consumption of Lance Snacks happened on the go, he said, because of the portable nature of the product.
“So, radio is the perfect fit because it hits [consumers] at a time where they’re looking for something to snack on – it fits that on-the-go lifestyle.”
Building on success, beating off competition
The Lance Snacks radio campaign had many similarities to an older radio campaign ‘I got Lance in my pants’, he said, with the same jingle and similar style.
Ingram said Lance Snacks made the decision to echo its previous campaign as it built off earlier success.
Asked why the company had invested in such heavy marketing for its flagship snack, he said: “As you think about the on-the-go snacking category, it’s a very competitive set right now.”
In order to maintain its current consumer base and stretch that further, he said communication was critical for Lance. “You have to communicate and stay out front; in front of the consumer, as well as just reinforcing what you do well and how you fit into their lifestyle.”
From pre-shop to in-store
Marketing campaigns importantly had to stretch from pre-shop to in-store, Ingram said. “Obviously you always want to be on the shopping list, you always want to be a planned purchase versus an impulse purchase. So if we can find a way on the consumer journey to drive awareness and create a purchase before you get to store, that can’t help but be a positive.”
The radio aspect of Lance’s campaign targeted pre-shop mode, he said, and the in-store marketing helped “quite honestly, close the sale”.