Trans-Ocean Products is capitalizing on consumers’ New Year’s weight-loss resolutions by running print and online ads for its Crab Classic surimi-seafood brand in Weight Watchers magazine and on WeightWatchers.com.
A full-page color ad appears in the January/February issue of the magazine and banner ads will appear throughout the same two-month period on the Weight Watchers Web site. The print ad presents Crab Classic as “simple, healthy seafood” with a recipe and $1 off coupon. The online ads appear in the recipe section of the Web site and are accompanied by four healthy recipes with Crab Classic as the main ingredient. The banner ads also link directly to the Trans-Ocean Web site, Trans-ocean.com, which has been updated with new recipes and nutritional information.
Weight Watchers magazine has a readership of more than 10 million, while WeightWatchers.com has 4 to 5 million unique visitors each month.
Trans-Ocean of Bellingham, Wash., USA, decided to focus its advertising on the Weight Watchers audience after research revealed that Crab Classic users shared key demographic characteristics with the typical Weight Watchers member/reader. Trans-Ocean had re-positioned Crab Classic in 2007 as a healthy seafood that is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, making the tie-in with Weight Watchers a natural fit.
“To Weight Watchers members and followers, Crab Classic represents something different. It’s healthy seafood with a mild flavor that can be used in so many different ways,” says Lou Shaheen, Trans-Ocean’s VP of sales and marketing. “We think the Weight Watchers consumer will appreciate how simple it is to cook with Crab Classic and also how affordable it is compared to other food choices.”
In 2008, Trans-Ocean initiated its first-ever consumer advertising effort with ads in national women’s magazines and on cable TV programming. The company plans to continue consumer advertising in 2009, though in a more targeted manner. Additional placements in Weight Watchers magazine are planned for later this year.
