Marketing Memo: NBC Rejects PETA's Sexy, Hot & Steamy 'Veggie Love' Super Bowl Ad As 'To Hot' For Super Bowl Sunday Viewing

Above: A scene from PETA's 'Veggie Love' Super Bowl Ad, the commercial NBC says is "to hot" for game-day viewing. [Photo: PETA]

Apparently the NBC television network, the broadcast network for this year's Super Bowl football championship game/American national holiday event, doesn't do sexy -- at least when it comes to fresh produce-inspired, sensuality-oriented commercials appearing on its upcoming telecast of the big game.

In its somewhat distorted wisdom, General Electric, Inc.-owned NBC, which has been known to run a sexually suggestive soap opera, prime time television serious and movie or two on the network, (not to mention sex-themed commercials), has rejected a Super Bowl Sunday ad spot from the non-profit animal rights and pro-veggie organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) on the grounds that the commercial is just "plain too sexy" to appear on the network as part of its Super Bowl telecast.

PETA's Super Bowl ad, "Veggie Love," which features a bevy of beauties who are powerless to resist the temptation of veggie love, was deemed "too hot" for the Super Bowl, NBC says. NBC rejected the video because of concerns over "rubbing pelvic region with pumpkin," a woman "screwing herself with broccoli," and more, a company spokesman said today without cracking a smile. [In the spirit of "equal time," you can read NBC's complete list of concerns about the commercial here.]

But what about all those "hot" beer commercials from Super Bowl's past, we wonder? Maybe that was on ABC, CBS or Fox? Or is NBC's rejection of the PETA "Veggie Love" ad really all about fear of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)? Remember the "Janet Jackson moment" and the resulting fining of the network that aired the footage, even though it was on an awards show and not a commercial spot, by the FCC?

the rejected PETA ad shows numerous extremely attractive woman let us say "losing themselves" in the freshness and sensuality of fresh produce.

No men are shown enjoying the more sensual side of the veggies in the ad. We presume that's because most Super Bowl advertisers' target audience on game day are men. But we all know many women watch the Super Bowl as well. Of course, it's doubtful that the mere inclusion of a male or two in the "veggie love" commercial spot would have been enough to change NBC's mind in terms of running the ad. But doing so would have been more equal opportunity.

We think the censors at NBC should think twice about judging what the American people should or should not view. after all, isn't NBC the same network, along with the others, that's always the first to cry censorship when one group or another wants the network to ban a program (or ad spot) it feels is overly sexually explicit or offers some other offensive element to the group? Yep, the same NBC.

And aren't the TV networks famous for pulling out and using that saying they created: "If people don't want to watch it (an offensive to them program or commercial) all they have to do is press the off button on the television?"

But we guess "Veggie Love" is just a bit too much for the NBC brass. This despite the fact PETA was willing to pay the same millions of dollars for its Super Bowl commercial spot as everybody else is, including food and grocery companies PepsiCo and Kelloggs, both of which will be running Super Bowl spots. We didn't know PETA had that kind of cash on hand, by the way.

But you see, since it is the Super Bowl, and there are so many companies willing to buy ad spots (more demand than there is supply), it just might be that rejecting the PETA ad, and the millions of dollars that come with it in revenue for NBC, was easy since the once-annual Super Bowl event is the hottest advertising ticket around for TV networks. There were plenty of others waiting to take PETA's ad time slot.

We wonder if NBC would have rejected the same PETA ad, say for the same amount of money, if the animal rights and pro-veggie, non meat-eater loving group wanted to run it on the network at anytime other than on Super Bowl Sunday? What do you think? Would not the green eye shade-wearing guys at NBC veto the censors? After all, NBC and its parent company General Electric are hurting for revenue in this severe recession.

But alas the only sexy veggies on Super Bowl Sunday will be those viewers create in their own kitchens and display on serving trays for guests watching the game at their homes. We suspect some creative food styling can be done with carrot sticks, celery stalks, broccoli florets and other fresh veggie snack fare -- all in the raw and in their natural sensual state of course. Image the added sensuality if those veggies also are organic and locally-grown.

Meanwhile, NBC is handing PETA a public relations gift of gold. The animal rights, pro-veggie organization is beginning to get all sorts of ink, a video of its NBC-rejected Super Bowl commercial is now up on YouTube and other sites, and between today and Super Bowl Sunday the word-of-mouth buzz, media mentions and views of its video will likely provide the veggie-loving group with even more exposure than they would have received with its Super Bowl ad -- and without spending the millions for the commercial. In fact, PETA now has the "Veggie Love" Super Bowl ad issue at the very top of its Web site here. It's a PR goldmine in the making.

We happen to enjoy (eating) meat, as well as fruits and veggies (all from a culinary-only perspective of course), so we aren't what you would call "Friends of PETA" in the sense that we share all of the group's advocacy positions. But we do call them like we see them. And in this case we think NBC looks super-silly in its rejection of the ad for its Super Bowl Sunday telecast.

We do think the PETA ad, if shown on the Super Bowl Sunday telecast, might just have provided the fresh produce industry and America's food and grocery retailers with the most massive "post-game" spike in fresh produce sales in history. So in this regard PETA's loss is the fresh produce industry's and grocer's loss as well. (Tongue only partially in cheek.)

In learning of NBC's rejection of the hot and steamy ad we are reminded of what a 10-year old boy we know said the other day to a boy a couple years older than him, in a different context of course. The 10 year old said to the 12-year old who was teasing him: "Grow up already."

We think this is good advice for NBC regarding it rejection of the ad featuring attractive women and fresh produce -- "Grow up already." The people watching the Super Bowl can turn their heads, go to the kitchen to get some real veggies, or in a worse-case scenario press the TV remote control off button for 30 seconds when the spot comes on if they find it offensive.

[You can watch the PETA "Veggie Love" commercial video at this link: 'Veggie Love': PETA's Banned Super Bowl Ad. Or view it here from the PETA Website. Unlike NBC, Natural~Specialty Foods Memo (NSFM) doesn't censor our readers. However, if you feel strongly that fresh veggies should not be used in non-culinary ways, you might not want to view the video. More on the Peta issue...Video: Too Hot for TV: More Banned PETA Ads. And: Read NBC's Sexually-Explicit Rejection E-mail. Finally: Subscribe to the PETA YouTube channel.]

"Hand me the veggie tray" and "Please pass the dipping sauce" could have taken on whole new meanings this Super Bowl Sunday we suspect had PETA been able to run its "Veggie Love" commercial during the game. Super Bowl Sunday might have never been the same.

Produce Category Memo: FMI Annual Survey Shows U.S. Consumers Prefer 'Locally-Grown' Produce Over Organic; Bulk Over Store-Packaged

The just released annual Food Marketing Institute (FMI)-Prevention magazine "shopping For Health 2008" consumer survey offers some significant shopper data in the fresh produce category.

This year, for the first time in the annual survey's history, consumers chose locally-grown produce over organic in terms of shopping preference.

When the cost is the same, 50% of the 2,700 adult consumers surveyed by research firm Harris Interactive for FMI and Prevention, say they would choose locally-grown fresh produce over organic, which only 28% of the respondents sited as their preference compared to local fruits and vegetables.

The 2,700 consumers surveyed also said they prefer bulk produce over store-packaged. A mere 9% of the U.S. shoppers polled said they would choose store-packaged produce over bulk, particularly if the bulk produce is locally-grown.

The only exception to that rule is fresh strawberries. If and when packaged strawberries are cheaper in-store than locally grown or organic berries, 45% of the survey respondents say they would buy the packaged variety. However, 34% would purchase locally grown and 22% would choose organic strawberries even if both varieties are more expensive than the packaged ones.

This finding is a bit of an anomaly however. First, most supermarkets and food stores in the U.S. sell strawberries in plastic tubs, thus meaning the majority of fresh strawberries, whether locally-grown, conventional or organic come packaged.

Second, the fresh strawberry season in the U.S. last for only about 4-5 months. The rest of the year the berries come from places like Mexico or Central America. These imported strawberries are almost always pre-packaged, so it makes the finding a bit of a moot point.

Additionally, since for at least half or more of the year, locally-grown strawberries aren't available to U.S. consumers--and in some part of the country local strawberries don't even exist-our analysis is that retailers shouldn't pay a lot of attention to this finding, although we do think it's illustrative of the overwhelming preference American consumers have for buying bulk produce over store-packaged produce.

The fact 50% of the 2,700 U.S. consumers surveyed choose locally-grown produce over organic (28%) is big news however. And, the annual FMI-Prevention survey is widely respected, therefore it should hold some weight in the industry.

Among the reasons consumers sited in the survey for choosing locally-grown produce over organic include:

• Organic is too expensive. A whopping 70% of the 2,700 shoppers surveyed say this is the case.
• There's no difference between locally-grown and organic to justify the higher cost. A solid 39% of consumers polled say this is the case.
• A surprising 33% of the 2,700 shoppers surveyed say they are concerned about the safety of organic produce.

This last finding is something the organic produce industry and food retailers need to pay close attention to. One of the historically key selling propositions of organic produce has been that's its safer and better for consumers because it's grown without the use of pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizer.

If 33% of the consumers surveyed are concerned about the safety of organics, yet 50% prefer locally-grown, which means local produce that's conventionally-grown, that essentially means one of the key points of differentiation regarding organic produce is being eroded in the consumers mind and shopping behavior.

Another survey finding the organic produce industry and food retailers who sell lots of organic produce should pay very close attention to is the overwhelming number of consumers in the survey who say organics are just priced too high.

One of the goals of the organics industry has been to try to get a wider spectrum of consumers in the U.S. to buy organic produce and foods, rather than catering to a consumer elite. However, this price perception, which is reflected in numerous other surveys, could prove to not only be a barrier of entry to this goal, but also could contribute to an erosion of organic produce consumers who already buy organic over conventional.

This is serious data. It's especially serious because of the current food inflation climate in the U.S., and elsewhere in the world. The costs of conventionally-grown foods is soaring across the board, and organic produce and other food products are increasing even higher.

The organic industry and major organic produce retailers like Whole Foods Market and others need to find a way to hold the line on the retail price increases of organic produce. If not, we believe there will be an eventual erosion in category sales. This will be the case not just because more an more consumers are opting for locally-grown over organic, but because the costs of organic produce becomes prohibitive for all but high income consumers.

Healthy eating

Regarding whether or not American consumers are or plan to eat healthier foods, the results form the survey offer a bit of a mixed bag.

Below are the key finding from the 2,700 shoppers surveyed regarding their healthy eating habits and plans:

The 'swap-out' factor

Although consumers admit to not always choosing the most diet-friendly option when it comes to unhealthy indulgences in product categories such as ice cream, cookies and salad dressing, many are amenable to healthier choices. The swaps that consumers say they would make:

• Healthier alternatives in the same product category, for example, those with less fat or fewer calories. Consumers reported they would purchase healthier salad dressings (41%), potato chips (36%) and ice cream (27%).

• 100-calorie packs of cookies--23% said they would purchase this over any other alternative-- but 20% of cookie-eaters would not change their habits at all.

• Drink less soda--29% of consumers choose this alternative — but 28% would not change their consumption.

How those who eat healthy succeed

Regarding how healthy eaters succeed in achieving that goal, the FMI-Prevention survey found the following key details:

• Successful eaters say their grocery decisions are driven strongly by goals to manage weight (52%). They are also more likely than average to shop in order to avoid future medical conditions or manage a current condition.

• They develop a plan and stick to it, starting with using a list when they shop--done by 65% of healthy eaters, compared with 42% of all consumers.

• Their plans include eating more fruits and vegetables (87% vs. 63% of all shoppers), limiting foods with trans fats (79% vs. 63%) and reducing portion sizes (79% vs. 47%).

• 83% eat dinner at home five to seven times per week, giving them better control over healthy ingredients, compared with 66% of total shoppers.

Who are these healthy eaters? They mirror the average shopper--that is, six in 10 are women, slightly more than half are married and about one in five is black or Hispanic.

“This survey shows that anyone can eat healthfully,” said Cathy Polley, R.Ph., FMI vice president of pharmacy services. “All they need is determination and direction, which food retailers can provide with nutrition information, in-store dietitians and clinics, often coordinated with supermarket pharmacies.”

This data, especially the finding that 83% of "healthy eaters" shop at grocery stores and eat at home far more than consumers in general do (66%) offers good news to the natural and healthy foods industry, along with retailers that offer lots of natural and healthy products in their stores.

The additional finding that over 20% more "healthy eaters" buy and eat more fruits and vegetables than consumers as a whole, also offers important merchandising insight to the fresh produce industry as well as to food retailers. Targeting this population segment with healthy fresh produce messages will pay big dividends.

Consumers and diet restriction

Another interesting set of finding from the survey of 2,700 U.S. adult consumers is how many of those surveyed are currently on calorie-restricted diets. Below is a snapshot of that data:

• More than one in three shoppers (38%) said they had started a diet in 2007.

• Two-thirds (66%) of these shoppers were still on a diet by November 2007.

• More than half of dieters (57%) said they are on no specific diet regimen; they are merely watching their calories.

The most significant finding here in our analysis is that 57% of those 38% who said they started a diet in 2007 have no specific diet regimen. In other words, they aren't on a specific diet like Atkins or Weight Watchers.

For the natural and healthy foods industry this offers a great opportunity to market healthy products to consumers on diets, which is good for the industry as well as for consumers, since regimented or formula diets seldom have a long lasting positive result.

This finding also offers the fresh produce industry further opportunity to market fresh fruits and vegetables to dieters, since the categories offer perhaps the healthiest diet options available.

Conclusion

The results of the annual FMI-Prevention "Shopping For Health 2008" consumer survey are good news for the fresh produce and natural and healthy foods industries. An overwhelming number of the 2,700 U.S. consumers surveyed indicate they buy, and plan on continuing to buy, lots of fresh produce, be it conventionally-produced, locally-grown or organic--or a combination of all three.

The fresh produce category data offers even further good news and opportunity for those people and groups promoting local foods initiatives, as well as for small, local farmers, food producers and marketers.

The data also offers important information to food retailers who either already are or are considering offering locally-grown produce in their stores. The response: do it if you aren't already doing so. And, if you are already doing some local produce merchandise and marketing, do more of it.

The survey results suggest locally-grown produce is in many ways the new organic. This doesn't mean organic produce is going to go away any tome soon. Not at all. Rather, it means-- along with other data we've seen as well as demonstrable sales of local produce--that locally-grown is right up there with organic as a key marketing and merchandising niche at retail.

The local foods consumer movement has been gaining steady steam for about the last five years in the U.S. In just the last two years or so, it's taken on a full head of steam. We see that head of steam--and the local foods movement--getting only bigger and more powerful.

The fresh produce category offers huge opportunities in the local foods realm. American consumers perceive locally-grown to be far fresher than any other type of produce.

In survey after survey, fresh is the key variable shoppers site when it comes to produce preferences. Since locally-grown fits this "freshness" preference the most currently, the ability to offer fresh, locally-grown produce at reasonable prices is an offering supermarket retailers can make bank with in our analysis.