Bob Evans Has a Great Year with Cauliflower

The Mars Agency is proud to have contributed to the successful launch campaign that helped Bob Evans® Mashed Cauliflower win a 2023 Product of the Year Award.

A breakthrough line of refrigerated dinner sides introduced in two SKUs (Parmesan & Chives and Roasted Garlic & Herb) in the second half of 2022, Bob Evans Mashed Cauliflower was voted #1 Meal Solution at a Product of the Year ceremony held on Feb. 16.

Established over 30 years ago in France, Product of the Year is the world’s largest consumer-voted award for product innovation in the packaged goods industry. The program now operates in more than 40 countries to “guide consumers to the best products in their market and reward manufacturers for quality and innovation,” according to the company. The U.S. awards are determined by the votes of 40,000 consumers surveyed by Kantar.

The extensive launch campaign for Bob Evans Mashed Cauliflower centered on an engaging “Taste Fest” mobile sampling tour that visited numerous locations across multiple states. Conducted by experiential agency Yum Love More, the tour featured guerilla sampling in high-traffic locations, special events in the hometowns of Kroger, Meijer and Walmart, and retail integration events in store parking lots.

The Mars Agency utilized both our strategy and creative teams to provide shopper marketing support for the product launch and sampling tour, while our Customer Development teams helped craft retailer-specific media plans.

In particular, we developed a key visual designed to inspire awareness and trial at the point of decision and purchase, as well as to bring new users into the category. Colorful, engaging creative encouraged consumers to visit the tour for samples and additional product information.

The Mars Agency is the shopper and e-commerce agency of record for Bob Evans Farms.