F.Y.I.

Soup expands to Auckland with Purina and L’Oreal launches

Word of mouth agency Soup has opened an Auckland office with the appointment of two new launch campaigns, Nestle’s cat food line Purina Fancy Feast Broths and L’Oréal’s Paris Elvive Extraordinary Oil.

The announcement:

Soup, Australia’s leading word-of-mouth marketing agency, has opened an Auckland office as part of the agency’s wider expansion plans. The agency has been appointed to two new product launch campaigns – Nestle’s cat broth line, Purina Fancy Feast Broths; and L’Oréal Paris Elvive Extraordinary Oil.

Soup has previously worked on campaigns across Australia and New Zealand, but has for the first time set up a NZ office to focus growth in the region. Kathleen Gunther, who has moved from Soup’s Sydney headquarters, has been tasked with driving the NZ operations as New Business Director.

Soup’s word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing campaign for Nestle’s new cat broth brand, Purina Fancy Feast Broths, will target influential female cat lovers who enjoy indulging their pets and keeping them healthy.

Influencers will trial the product over a four-week period and host a ‘kitty catch up’ with their friends to demonstrate the product and invite them to try it. A WOM campaign website will drive ongoing conversations around the new cat broth product and will also be linked to the Purina web page. Influencers will be part of the ongoing co-creation of the product through a post-trial feedback survey.

Meanwhile, a campaign for new hair care product L’Oréal Paris Elvive Extraordinary Oil will be aimed at women aged 20-to-49 who are after simple hair care solutions. Influencers recruited will be highly connected on and offline, and regular social media users.

Influencers will receive a personalised seeding pack which will include hair care information and trial bottles of Elvive Extraordinary Oil. They will host a get together with their friends in order to generate authentic trial opportunities and encourage new hair care routines. Influencers and their friends will then test the difference in their hair and rate the product using the collateral provided.

An online hub for L’Oréal Paris Elvive’s WOM campaign will also allow people to upload photos from their get togethers, before/after shots of their hair, and encourage discussions around beauty and hair care.

Kathleen Gunther, Soup NZ New Business Director, said: “We’re excited to be working with some of New Zealand’s leading FMCG brands and agencies. These campaigns are about engaging brands with influential consumers and giving them the opportunity to be among the first to try out new products in categories they’re passionate about.

“Whether it’s connecting a brand with people who love food and wine, or devoted pet owners, clients are increasingly understanding the value of not just targeting the right demographics – but also targeting influential consumers within that demographic.”

Soup’s expansion into NZ comes in the same year as the opening of its London-based UK office with foundation client Reckitt Benckiser.

Sharyn Smith, Soup CEO and founder, said: “As experts in understanding the influential consumer and harnessing the power of word-of-mouth as a marketing channel, we can use our deep insights in other markets. The work we’ve previously done in New Zealand has shown there’s a great appetite for the expertise we bring to clients. The size and diversity of the UK also presents a great opportunity for Soup, and we anticipate a busy year across all our operations.”

Source: Soup press release

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