Goodwin Helps Campbell Soup Connect with Kids at Kids’ Level

Several years ago Campbell Soup Company realized it was high time to develop a marketing strategy aimed at children, and solicited the help of Goodwin, a consultancy specializing in strategy and design for youth brands located in Media, PA. Campbell’s and Goodwin carefully integrated a strategy into the Campbell’s brand by licensing Nickelodeon characters and using cues in the “architecture” without disrupting the brand.

Several years ago Campbell Soup Company realized it was high time to develop a marketing strategy aimed at children, and solicited the help of Goodwin, a consultancy specializing in strategy and design for youth brands located in Media, PA. Campbell’s and Goodwin carefully integrated a strategy into the Campbell’s brand by licensing Nickelodeon characters and using cues in the “architecture” without disrupting the brand. The new soup line’s distinguishing feature was the shaped pasta in otherwise normal chicken noodle soup. “This was the first time they did a complete kids’ program,” says Bill Goodwin, president of Goodwin Design. Because it was a new strategy, Campbell’s and Goodwin performed quite an extensive amount of consumer market research when refining the Dora and Jimmy Neutron labels shown here. One element that ended up defining the line was the purple bannering arc. The arc established on these labels is now a device that is leveraged into other other products marketed to kids, like ABC Soup (formerly Alphabet Soup) and Spaghettio’s. “By featuring a key communication to kids, they’re able to introduce kids into the Campbell’s franchise and brand,” says Goodwin. Today, kids are included in purchase decisions more than ever, as parents seek to appease their little ones. “Kids pick the category, and moms pick the brand,” Goodwin explains. “In the soup area, there was very little aimed at kids.” Goodwin says his firm’s job was simply to give kids what they want and would be expecting—but were not getting at the time.