Apple sauce maker Musselman’s largest-ever digital campaign, and its first brand advertising in the last five years, is a series of “homemade”?social videos, apparently by the elderly “Helen from Westerville, Ohio,” accusing Musselman’s of stealing her recipe. The campaign, budgeted at $1 million and running October through April, is by advertising agency Brunner, Pittsburgh.

The shift from product-focused to brand advertising is an attempt to differentiate in a stable, low-growth category, with roughly similar packages and varieties across the board. Instead, Musselman’s claims a more homemade taste, based on both taste test and brand perception research, and on its manufacture. Musselman’s apples—always American-grown—are cut, cored and peeled, not mashed and filtered. No competitor can say the same.

But grandma Helen can, and does, in five accusatory, :60 and :30 “social videos,”?ostensibly filmed and directed by her grandson Bobby. The videos look homemade. In them, Helen finds not a whit of difference between her own and Musselman’s apple sauce, thus “proving” Musselman’s stole her recipe. From an ad creative point of view, the unprofessional-looking format lets Musselman’s make its claims in a way that is both contemporary and speaks to the oldtime home made benefit.

The all-digital campaign targets moms, 25–45, including working moms. It appears in 26 primarily Northeastern and Midwestern DMAs, stretching from New York and Boston to D.C. to Kansas City, as well as in Tampa, Fla. Media includes Facebook; native (including Forbes, CBS news, People, Good Housekeeping, among others); Hulu; YouTube.

Creative credits go to Brunner executive creative director Rob Schapiro and to directors the Docter twins, of production co. Madison &?Vine, Los Angeles.

Musselman’s is the apple sauce division of Knouse Foods Co-op, Inc., Peach Glen, Pa., a co-op of 150 fruit growers from the Appalachian Mountains to the Midwest. knouse.com

Brunner is a full-service advertising agency with offices in Pittsburgh and Atlanta. Other clients include 84 Lumber, YellaWood, Huffy, Mars, Owens-Corning, Mitsubishi Electric, Compact Power and Field &?Stream. brunnerworks.com

Campaign Fact Sheet

Client:
Musselman’s, Peach Glen, Pa., div. of Knouse Foods Co-op, Inc.

Product:
Musselman’s Apple Sauce
Agency:
Brunner, Pittsburgh

Strategy:
Brand advertising, Musselman’s first in five years. Previously, product-focused.

Why the shift?
Opportunity to differentiate in a stable category, where all competitors offer roughly similar packages and varieties.

Claims:
Thicker, chunkier texture delivers homemade taste (supported by both taste test and brand perception research).
Apples are cut, cored and peeled, not mashed and filtered.
Always made from American-grown apples.

Campaign:
Young Bobby directs as his grandma (“Helen from Westerville, Ohio”) creates a series of social videos charging Musselman’s with stealing her homemade apple sauce recipe.

Creative strategy:
“Homemade” video is both contemporary and speaks to key benefit.

Anthem spot:
“The Accusation” :60 and :30. (“I?know homemade recipe theft when I?see it.”)

Continued in:
“The Rebuttal” :60
“Witness Bobby” :60
“Spoon Test” :30
“American Grown” :30

Target:
Moms, 25–45, including working moms.

Media (all digital):
Facebook
Native (including Forbes, CBS news, People, Good Housekeeping, among others)
Hulu
YouTube

Markets:
26 primarily Northeast and Midwest DMAs, New York and Boston to D.C. to Kansas City. Also Tampa, Fla.

Budget:
$1M. Musselman’s largest-ever digital campaign.

ECD: Rob Schapiro

Dirs./Production Co.: The Docter Twins/Madison &?Vine, Los Angeles

Runs:
October, 2017 through April, 2018