New Dawn at Aurora For Sleepy Syrup, Mix - Aurora Foods

Brandweek, Feb 15, 1999 by Stephanie Thompson

In an effort to rouse the pancake syrup and mixes categories out of their long slumber, Aurora Foods is readying a variety of test-market initiatives for its Log Cabin and Mrs. Butterworth's brands ranging from introductions of kid-targeted syrup flavors to an upscale line of syrups and mixes, much of which it will support with strong media spending.

Aurora, which went public in June after years spent acquiring a slew of under-marketed brands such as Mrs. Butter-worth's, Log Cabin and Duncan Hines, is hoping to jumpstart the at-home breakfast category and its own brands within them with renewed marketing, new product innovation and packaging.

"There is so much homogeneity in this category, and it needs to have some new life breathed into it," said Ed Yuhas, general manager-breakfast for Aurora.

Aurora is for the first time targeting its Mrs. Butterworth's syrups directly to kids, who are responsible for 60% of all syrup consumption, with the launch this month of new Strawberry and Buttery Cinnamon flavors in Atlanta, Phoenix, San Antonio, Texas, and St. Louis. Aurora will reach out to 6- to 11-year-olds touting the flavors and new kid-friendly plastic bottles featuring a drip-proof spout through $400,000 worth of media buys during kids' dayparts, equivalent to $6 million if extended nationally. The ads, set to air in the test markets in mid-April, feature the same 30-second spots from the general "You Butter Believe It" campaign for Mrs. Butterworth's, which broke last week via Ogilvy & Mather, Chicago, but will also feature 15-second tags touting the new flavors. High-value FSIs and ActMedia shelf talkers also support in the spring.

At the same time, aiming to differentiate Mrs. Butterworth's pancake mixes in a $160 million segment dominated by Van de Kamp's Aunt Jemima, Aurora is testing a new stand-up resealable pouch in St. Louis and Minneapolis that it hopes will attract customers with the lure of no mess and lasting freshness. Support includes FSIs and ActMedia shelf talkers.

Finally, beginning April 15, Aurora is launching new Log Cabin Premium blends, a line of three upscale syrups--13-oz. bottles of Butter-Maple, Cinnamon-Maple and Almond-Maple--and four premium bagged pancake mixes--Chunky Pecan, Cranberry, Cinnamon-Vanilla and Old-Fashioned-in parts of New England, New York and Mid-Central markets in the hopes of capitalizing on the cross-category indulgence trend. In the initial markets, in-store demos will support the line but, as it slowly rolls national in early 2000, Aurora will likely support the upscale products with print ads in epicurean magazines.

"Log Cabin's positioning has been that of an authentic, rich maple brand, nothing imitation, and the Premium line, with its gold-foil bags and upscale graphics, elevates that overall image," Yuhas said.