Branded entertainment has gained popularity in the U.S. as both a marketing strategy and consumer touchpoint. Nowadays, content is everywhere. But the power of branded content is not always executed in an effective way and can get lost in marketing clutter.

While there are no regulatory rules surrounding branded content in the U.S., new users typically face a learning curve and are unsure about how to invoke bottom-line results from entertainment. Hellmann's, however, has been actively producing branded content for 8 years. The brand has garnered an expertise in the field, and along with this, the ability to recognize content as the building blocks of integrated campaigns - and the means by which to illicit genuine emotional connections with consumers. This is why, when planning their centennial birthday, Hellmann’s decided to champion their multiplatform campaign – including digital, social, PR and an event - around content created with celebrity chef Mario Batali.

Moreover, while many food brands use chefs to enhance marketing, the talent very often comes across as inauthentic. In contrast, Hellmann's understanding of their audiences and priorities enabled the brand to create a deep-seeded, collaborative partnership with Mario Batali – resulting in authentic, inspiring equity for both parties.

Our content strategy was to bring people together to celebrate Hellmann's 100th birthday party by providing new twists on traditional recipes, engaging them across multiple platforms and inviting them to join the party firsthand. Using celebrity chefs and integrations with popular shows The Taste and The Chew, we reasserted Hellmann’s relevance and encouraged engagement via calls to action. Content was distributed through our traditional social channels, digital media and in-store and promoted via PR. Facebook app invited fans to share recipes at a virtual table for a chance to win a seat at Hellmann’s birthday celebration.

The Hellmann's 100 Years program was a success both in terms of driving relevance and re-establishing brand leadership and in driving sales. The Mario Batali content drove sales at the in-store level, driving underlying sales growth by 11% in June, and 16.5% in July, far exceeding our client’s 5% target. Consumers were engaged at multiple levels, responding not only via social channels, but discussing their engagement with the broadcast integration, the in-store experience and a custom Facebook App. The App generated over 2 million story impressions and 226K unique users. In total, the campaign garnered over 1 billion media impressions and inspired over 3 million social interactions, far exceeding our goals. Most importantly, the recipes were downloaded millions of times, showing that families across the country have new ways to eat Real Food.