2024 Bronze Brand Building

Agency: Ogilvy UK

Client: Philadelphia

Entry Title: Philadelphia: The Power of Friendship

Executive Summary

For more than 150 years, Philadelphia has been the iconic cream cheese. But years of focusing on functional attributes meant the brand was getting lost within a commoditised category.

Strategy

Rising costs coupled with UK inflation led to a price increase in August 2022, which made Philadelphia particularly vulnerable to own-label’s onslaught.

Research revealed the brand reminded people of feeling cared for and connected to loved ones. But busy Millennials found it tougher to do that: they were living through a ‘friendship crisis’, with friendship bonds increasingly strained.

Behavioural science was used to uncover a powerful product truth: Philadelphia’s nostalgic creaminess triggered feelings of comfort, reminiscent of early childhood nurturing. Sharing comfort foods like Philadelphia releases feel-good hormones that help us bond with others.

The product could be more than a tasty treat - it could help people create the moments of connection they were craving. Philadelphia’s brand purpose redefined: to spread friendship.

Creativity

Creative adopted a warmer tone and embraced a highly emotive endline: ‘You’ve got a friend in Philly.’

TV featured after a four-year absence. Films told the story of a lifelong friendship, with Philly at the heart of moments of connection. Paid social leveraged platform’s connective power, to land the friendship message in influencer collaborations and short-form formats.

Earned amplified the message. To establish credibility, the brand partnered with Oxford psychologist Professor Robin Dunbar to publish headline-grabbing statistic: investing just nine minutes a day is key to sustaining close friendships.

The audience was segmented into groups who were served highly tailored recipe suggestions based on their specific needs and mealtime occasions.

Results

Despite price increases, Philadelphia achieved +26% volume growth in 2023 (vs 2022); +9pp consideration; and +4pp penetration.

Among Millennials preference increased by +6pp and the perception that Philadelphia is good value rose by +18pp. Post-campaign tracking showed a +14% increase in emotional resonance, demonstrating the effectiveness of ‘spreading friendship’.

According to Mintel, in 2023 Philadelphia outperformed the top brands in the cheese category. Overall the campaign achieved a long-term ROMI of £2.28.

The Team

Ogilvy UK - Julia Manstead, Strategist - Hannah Wren, Strategy Partner - Amelia McDermott, Strategy Director - Matthew Waksman, Head of Strategy - Dani O'Donnell, Managing Partner - Lily Greenwood, Project Director - Jules Chalkley, Chief Executive Creative Director - Sam Cartmell, Deputy Executive Creative Director - Dave Towers, Design Executive Creative Director - Jakub Hodbod, Chief Strategy Officer - Daniel Bennett, Consulting Partner - Jenny McCoubrey, PR Managing Partner - Stephen Farrell, Influence Business Director - André Laurentino, Chief Creative Officer

Mondelez - Chiara Missio, Senior Director Marketing - Derya Seyman, Head of Philadelphia Equity & Strategy - Kirsten McPherson, Marketing Director

Philadelphia UK - Chloe Jean-Marie, Senior Brand Manager - Ellie Swales, Brand Manager - Alistair Scrimgeour, Senior Brand Manager

Publicis Media - Felicity Bowen, Strategy Partner - Cynthia Hsu, Account Director