Carman’s Kitchen today launches its first-ever major brand campaign for TV and online to coincide with the company’s 30 year anniversary.
Paying homage to the company’s philosophy of caring, the campaign features a set of characters with the same name – The Carmans – who each represent an aspect of the brand’s personality and values.
From the ray of sunshine to the big thinker, and from the person who puts their heart into everything to the one who refines every detail, The Carmans showcase the caring values that have seen the Australian company grow into a local success story.
Founder Carolyn Creswell bought the fledgling business for $1,000 as a student in 1992 and packed every bag of muesli herself to build it into a leader in the cereal and muesli bar categories. 30 years later, the company sees an opportunity to attract a new generation of customers and enter new categories.
A strategic review by consultants East of Everything revealed that Creswell’s unique level of care and attention to detail remained at the core of the brand. This insight informed the campaign concept while the idea to introduce multiple Carmans was born from the widespread belief that Carman is Creswell’s real name.
The Carmans are brought to life by Paul Middleditch and Plaza Films through a series of films set in the company’s ‘Heart and Soul’ department (formerly known as R&D).
Beyond the characters, the campaign will showcase the ‘real’ Carman’s inside the business and their work each day to deliver delight.
All of the campaign assets are designed to be flexible, connect in-store and tailored to social environments.
“Carman’s success has been built on the personal care everyone puts into creating our products. The Carmans are a great way to celebrate the army of caring people who are behind every product,” said Jed Simpfendorfer, Carman’s Kitchen chief marketing officer.
“30 years on we are excited to create a memorable brand that builds from our exceptional products. To do this, we tried to balance Byron Sharps theories on distinctiveness, Mark Ritson’s thoughts on differentiation, Karen Nelson-Fields research on attention characteristics across platforms, without being criticised or beaten up by any of the above.” Said Simpfendorfer.
Campaign Credits
Carman’s Kitchen:
Carolyn Creswell, founder
Jed Simpfendorfer, CMO Illana Blampied, head of insights
Lachie McDonald, digital comms manager
Jackson Delminico, brand manager
Mandy Carr, packaging and food design manager
East of Everything:
Grant Rutherford, founder, ECD
Kat Kelly, Founder, strategy director
Brendon Guthrie, creative
Sue Hind, senior producer
Production:
Director, Paul Middleditch Plaza Films
Producer, Peter Masterton, Plaza Films
Editing, Stu Morely, Jamie Scott, Trish Cahill, The Editors
Sound Engineering, Paul Le Couteur, Squeak E Clean
Chris Budgeon, Photography
Ross Colebatch, Producer, Photoplay
Caroline Velik, Food Stylist
Featured image source: Youtube @carmanskitchen9269
