Chobani debuted the new spot “Farmland” (presumably from Droga5) during the Oscars Sunday night.
The new, 60-second spot takes on competitors who use artificial ingredients in their 100 calorie yogurts. “Farmland” opens on men in white coats plucking brightly colored test tubes from a tree and dumping a bucket of something (probably artificial sweeteners) into an artificial cow. “Most 100 calorie yogurts are made with artificial ingredients and sweeteners,” intones the voiceover. The camera then follows the flight of a butterfly to show how things are done differently over at Chobani. “You know a cup of yogurt won’t change the world, but how we make it might,” says a Chobani farmer, followed by the product introduction for Chobani Simply 100 and the “How Matters” tagline.
Chobani, already the nation’s largest seller of Greek yogurt, could attract even more attention from increasingly health-conscious shoppers with their new product, so pushing the “healthier alternative” angle makes a lot of sense for the company. The “How Matters” tagline seems a great encapsulation of the strategy, so long as audiences don’t consider all its implications. However, calling attention to the yogurt making process could bring increased scrutiny to Chobani for their sourcing of GMO cattle feed, something that could lead to more savvy customers picking up smaler, non-GMO brands. But that’s apparently a gamble Chobani is willing to make, and one that’s still likely to pay off with all but the most informed consumers.