It can be hard in the dark of night, reflecting on former glories and wishing to relive them. One such reflection brought me back to our time working with Rosella. An iconic Australian retail brand resurrected and resuscitated by Dan Presser and Sabrands, we were approached by the brand way back in 2021 to assist with creative development services as well as TVC development and had a short but fruitful relationship.
The first project we worked on together was an NPD that was very close to launching: a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary mix that would be ranged at supermarkets and bottleshops, allowing customers to simply add vodka and enjoy a tangy and spicy treat any time of the day. As a part of pitching the product to retailers, Sabrands asked us to consider a creative approach to promoting this fairly unique product (certainly unique across Australia).
Our concept leaned on elements of the product and packaging, namely the spicy, red liquid that really stood out from the crowd. Utilising fresh Australian-grown tomatoes and real wasabi as opposed to Tabasco or other hot sauces, the product had an advantage in its different ingredient combination. As such, we produced a concept highlighting red-headed models with their hair flying back, so energised by the delicious, spicy concoction. The headline, “The only mixer with real Wasabi,” was simple and direct, letting the image speak for itself and communicating the core benefit of the product. While the Bloody Mary Mix wasn’t ranged by any brands and faced difficulties in securing consistent supply of product, it was a solid piece of communication that really cut through, at least in our opinion.
Even though we didn’t get any runs on the board with the Bloody Mary Mix, our next project was even better. In 2022, Rosella was looking to relaunch their iconic Tomato Soup product. A staple of Australian homes for over 60 years, their Tomato Soup (originally in cans) had been de-ranged a year prior due to flagging sales and low margins. As a result, Rosella spent the next year reworking everything from the formulation to packaging to marketing material, looking to bring the product back as quickly as possible.
And they delivered, with the new TetraPak-boxed Tomato Soup, accompanied by two other flavors as well. We were asked to produce a launch campaign for the product, aiming for first a Coles print ad as well as a TVC to be aired on Metro and Regional Broadcast TV and digitally across socials and YouTube. Our concept went through several rounds of revision, with extremely tight deadlines leading us to produce the Coles ad ahead of any TVC shoot, with a strong emphasis on bringing the family together. Ultimately, the focus narrowed to prioritizing the longevity of the brand, given how multiple generations of Australians had their own Rosella Tomato Soup memories. The TVC brought this together with the idea that “when it comes to taste, there’s one we all agree on: Rosella Tomato Soup.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KmFJjDEJSE
The Rosella Soup TVC had an incredible response, relaunching the product with positive engagement and good sales. While Rosella wasn’t able to support the launch with additional marketing spend over time, those initial results speak for themselves. And though our partnership with Rosella hasn’t progressed beyond these two key projects, we continue to work with Sabrands on some of their other major retail brands, including Sunraysia and Devondale, and look forward to the opportunities that may present out of this relationship in the future.
