French’s Launches Multi-Faceted Advertising and Marketing Campaign

French’s Mustard has rolled out a wide-ranging outreach program to provide consumers with value and high-quality products during the summer barbeque season, when people are most likely to use the popular condiment.

The program encompasses offering shoppers a bottle containing 40 percent more mustard for less money than the price of the 14-ounce bottle; in-store displays; heavy promotional support, including high-value coupons via FSI’s; and a multimillion-dollar integrated marketing campaign with TV and online components, as well as recipe development and a consumer contest.

“As the leader in the mustard category, you need listen to your consumers and strive to exceed their expectations. In these times, they told us they wanted real value and continued high quality; and that is exactly what we are working to give them,” said French’s Foods president Elliott Penner.

While French’s 14-ounce bottle of Yellow Mustard normally sells at national grocery for $1.93, however during the Spring and Summer, the company is offering a 20-ounce bottle -- the largest available at retail -- for just $1.50.

The company’s integrated advertising and marketing campaign employs the new tag line “Happy Starts Here™,” using swirls of the bright yellow mustard on food, faces and more to reinforce the emotional connection between French’s mustard and consumers. The national TV ads will run through the end of August.

The brand is additionally providing consumers with many quick and inexpensive recipe ideas, encouraging consumers to incorporate mustard into main dishes, salads, dressings and sauces. The recipes are available at the newly revamped French’s Web site, www.frenchsfoods.com, making it fast and easy to find the recipes. French’s is also rewarding a $25,000 grand prize in its first French’s Cook-Off recipe contest which debuts in June and ends in a live cook-off in New York City in February 2010. Home cooks can submit videos and recipes through the Web site or a YouTube entry. Consumers will be able to view and vote on the best recipe entries submitted during the contest period.

French’s Mustard is a product of French’s Foods, a division of Parsippany, N.J.-based Reckitt Benckiser, Inc., Other Reckitt Benckiser food products includes Frank’s Redhot Cayenne Pepper Sauce, French’s French Fried Onions, Cattlemen’s Barbecue Sauce and French’s Worcestershire sauce.