Ragu is one of the best know brands for tomato sauce in the country. After 75 years since it was originally founded as a brand, Ragu this year decided to change their image. On August 6, 2012 Ragu launched its first TV ad for their new campaign “Long day of childhood.” Ragu wanted to make a statement when launching this new campaign and the first TV ad that aired was very controversial. The basic concept of the TV spot is about a kid walking into their parents without knocking ad being shocked about what he just saw. Afterwards he had a plate of spaghetti with Ragu sauce, with the message that after a long day of childhood, Ragu will comfort you.
This brand and campaign in very present on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. They do a great job on keeping their social media networks up to date and interacting with their audience. The brand is most present on Facebook. Ragu does a good job on suggesting interesting recipes, constantly uploading visually appealing photos that pertain to the brand, and having parents uploading photos and videos of their children.
When the campaign originally launched, parents took it to Facebook to complain about it and inform Ragu that they would no longer buy their sauce. However, after that controversial TV spot, Ragu continued their campaign with more humorous and innocent commercials that don’t contain touchy or taboo subjects. Mike Dwyer, Unilever’s United States foods director says on a New York Times article “We are trying to use humor as a way to create emotional attachment.”
I think that Ragu took a chance on changing their image by going in strong and making a statement. With that first TV ad, they got people talking about them and paying attention to their brand again, they were no longer a boring predictable brand. After “hooking” the audience, the humorous yet innocent commercials have been a hit. Now they have their customers interacting with their brand, and are grabbing the younger audiences attention again. This image campaign should lengthen their product lifecycle by grabbing new generations. In a nut shell, Ragu did a good job with this new campaign.
Social Media: The Beginning of a New Era 