Childrens’ yogurt maker Yoplait has unveiled a new marketing campaign featuring TV presenter Josie Gibson and her son Reggie.
The campaign highlights a dairy deficit in kid’s diets and seeks to educate parents and carers on the benefits of the calcium- and vitamin D-rich children’s yogurt category.
It includes out-of-home advertising, social, digital, influencer and sampling activities, and follows the publication of a new report ‘Kids’ yogurt and consumers: a relationship turned sour,’ commissioned by Yoplait and written by dietician Dr Carrie Ruxton.
The report addresses the 10-year decline in the kids’ yogurt and fromage frais category, the implications for children’s future nutritional status and bone health, and outlines actions needed to support parents.
It reveals that a decrease in awareness of the benefits of yogurt has caused category decline, and Yoplait, the makers of Petits Filous and Frubes, has pledged to debunk damaging myths around the category by re-educating consumers on the nutritional benefits of kids’ yogurts through the campaign.
In addition to supporting children’s health, Yoplait has also highlighted a potential £150m sales opportunity for retailers over the next five years if these trends and issues can be reversed and the business is looking to work collaboratively with retail partners on re-engaging shoppers in the category.
Dr Carrie Ruxton said: “Childhood is a crucial window of opportunity to get bone health right for the future. Children need nutrient-rich foods to support their healthy growth and development, but many adults are put off buying yogurt for their children because they wrongly believe that there are no health benefits.
“Dairy foods, like yogurt, pack a highly nutritious punch so it is important that the decline in consumption is not only stopped but reversed. If children continue to replace healthy foods like yogurt with energy dense, nutrient poor substitutes, the toll on their future health is likely to be significant.”
