Who: Clover Leaf and Crowdiate for creative, with Society for media.

What: An ad campaign to launch Bistro Bowls, a new ready-to-eat product line.

When & Where: The campaign is built around two video ads that will run online only (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram) for two months, supported by in-store advertising.

Why: The brand famous for its canned seafood was preparing to launch the line in the spring and position it as a convenient, healthy option for lunch. Then Covid happened. “We paused media when the pandemic started,” said Paul Gallagher vice-president of marketing at Clover Leaf. “While many people are now working and eating away from home again, we’ve found this product to be a convenient lunch option even for those working from home.” The new ad campaign focuses on that message.

How: The two ads use actors to portray typical lunch and snack options (burgers, pizza, cookies, etc.) who are disappointed when the main character turns them down for a Clover Leaf bistro bowl. “We love the line ‘turn over a new leaf’ which plays off the Clover Leaf name and imparts the sense of a brand evolving to meet the changing needs of its customer,” said Crowdiate CEO Aaron Nemoy.

The winning idea: The campaign was developed using Crowdiate’s model of presenting a brief to a pool of creative talent who can pitch ideas. More than 100 concepts were submitted. “We awarded multiple creatives and the client secured the rights to the winning ideas, giving us and them the ability to refine and implement those that we collectively feel have the greatest potential,” said Nemoy. “In this case, the tagline from one submission was combined with the narrative structure from another, with all parties being rewarded appropriately.”