You're my lady: Snapple brings back Wendy
NEW YORK (DowJones/AP) — Looking to make the most of January's usual surge in diet soft drink sales, Snapple Beverage is bringing back Wendy Kaufman, "The Snapple Lady."
Ads featuring Wendy Kaufman, "The Snapple Lady," debut Jan. 17
Snapple
In the early '90s, Kaufman, then a Snapple employee, was featured in commercials reading letters from consumers in her thick, Long Island accent.
The ads were credited with helping the brand achieve its initial popularity, but Kaufman was replaced as a pitchwoman when Quaker Oats bought Snapple in 1994. She returned for a stint in 1997, when Snapple had changed hands again.
In a series of quirky ads that will debut Jan. 17, Kaufman interviews consumers about the brand. After they say good things about Snapple, Wendy interviews other people about the Snapple fans.
In one spot, a car mechanic says he likes the new Diet Plum-a-Granate Iced Tea flavor because it's tingly in his mouth. The ad then cuts to a customer, who says she likes the mechanic because he's honest. He lets her know which junkyard her car is in after he wrecked it.
Another ad shows a school principal who says he likes Diet Raspberry Tea. In turn, one student says she likes the principal because he's cute, and another likes his hair.
"We are making a special effort to reach out again and connect with our consumers," said Steve Jarmon, vice president of marketing resources at the Cadbury unit.
The new campaign, which is the first for the brand since Cliff Freeman & Partners took over the account from Deutsch, harkens back to the brand's early approach.
"The concept of returning a favor is a welcome message today," said Cliff Freeman, chairman and chief creative officer of the ad agency. "People find the tone appealing."
The timing of the new advertising breaks with Snapple's past practice of launching campaigns just ahead of the summer, when soft drink consumption peaks.
Instead, Snapple will roll out the ads and an under-the-cap promotion, which offers a chance to win a Volkswagen Beetle convertible, while the mercury is low and many consumers have their eyes focused on the scale.
Consumer concerns about growing obesity rates has helped to boost sales of diet soft drinks of all kinds. In response, giant beverage companies such as Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP) are pouring more resources behind the support of their sugar-free brands.
The trends are similar at Snapple. According to industry trade newsletter Beverage Digest, sales of Snapple's juice drinks in the first nine months of 2004 fell 23% compared with the same period a year ago. The company's teas, which are a bigger slice of the company's volume, grew 7.1% during the same period, according to Beverage Digest.
Snapple has a 63% share of the premium diet iced tea market, said Snapple spokeswomen Lauren Radcliffe.
Snapple is now owned by British candy and drinks company Cadbury Schweppes.
Chef2Chef News Desk