The Campaign

The Australian Egg Corporation Limited (AECL) tasked the agency with creating a PR campaign to keep eggs top of mind at breakfast time. To prove to consumers that eggs can be a convenient, healthy and tasty choice for breakfast every day, we developed the 10 Minute Breakfast Challenge. Social media was identified as the most relevant channel to host the Challenge and engage existing egg lovers to participate. Consumers registered to enter the competition and then share photos of their egg breakfasts every day for a week, using the campaign hash tag #10minuteEggs. Celebrity cook and personal trainer Luke Hines was engaged as the campaign ambassador to act as spokesperson and create seven recipes for consumers to try at home. The recipes were published in an e-book and made available to consumers upon registering for the competition. The campaign resulted in 135 pieces of media coverage with a combined reach of more than 23.28 million media impressions – nearly double the KPI target. We received 7,761 Facebook status likes, 890 shares and 452 comments across 20 posts. 879 consumers registered to take the Challenge – four times the anticipated amount. In addition, the campaign resulted in the growth of the Australian Eggs Facebook and Twitter communities in increased traffic to www.eggs.org.au. During the competition period sales were 6.94% higher than the five year average sales. Overall sales increased by around 3.5% during the competition period, which was 1.1% higher than in the previous period (May-June 2013).

The Brief

The PR objectives were to increase share of voice in traditional and social media with coverage, content and conversations; and educate consumers about the ease of cooking eggs and the health benefits of eating them for breakfast There were two target audience segments: those who don’t enjoy cooking and want easy recipe solutions, and those who love to cook and get experimental. Recent consumer research had shown the average Australian allocates 10 minutes to breakfast on a weekday. Several clinical studies had shown the health benefits of an egg-based breakfast, including increased satiety.

Results

The target volume of coverage was exceeded by 225% and achieved almost double the impressions, with a reach of 23.29 million. Coverage sentiment was 100% positive, with 94% including at least one key message. Nearly 40% of coverage included one or more of the health-specific messages. The CPM figure for was $AUD8.30, within the industry benchmark target range of $AUD7-10. Earned social mentions for the 10 Minute Breakfast Challenge exceeded KPIs by 235%, demonstrating the increased share of voice for Australian Eggs. The target number of competition registrations was exceeded within 36 hours of announcing the campaign. The recipe eBook has been downloaded more than 4,266 times and there were more than 7,800 direct engagements with the recipes, eBook and third party social media content. The eBook contained several health and nutritional messages to help educate consumers about the benefits of eating eggs for breakfast.

Execution

Former My Kitchen Rules contestant and celebrity personal trainer Luke Hines was engaged as an ambassador to lead the Challenge. Luke created seven new egg-based breakfast recipes that could all be prepared in 10 minutes or less. The recipes were published in an eBook with media partner MyFoodBook and made available to consumers upon registering for the Challenge. Consumer research was commissioned to uncover new insights into the attitudes and behaviours of Australians towards breakfast. The key findings were used to drive news interest as part of a national media relations campaign. Accredited Practising Dietitian Sharon Natoli was used as a supporting spokesperson to lend credibility to health claims. Consumer participation was also encouraged via the Australian Eggs Facebook and Twitter pages and Luke Hines' own social community. The Challenge lasted for four weeks, with one overall winner receiving breakfast cooked at home by Luke Hines.

The Situation

AECL is a public non-listed company that operates on behalf of levy-paying egg farmers. The key marketing objective for AECL is to increase egg consumption by keeping eggs top of mind, with breakfast the most valuable consumption occasion. For the majority of consumers, a key barrier to not eating eggs at breakfast is that they’re not part of their weekday breakfast routine, due to the misconception that eggs are not a quick and convenient option. A PR campaign was required to address this barrier and highlight the benefits of starting the day with an egg.

The Strategy

Based on these insights, we developed the 10 Minute Breakfast Challenge to demonstrate that eggs can be a convenient choice for breakfast every day. The Challenge took the form of a competition for consumers to trial new egg recipes for breakfast every day for a week and share their creations via social media using the campaign hashtag #10minuteEggs. To appeal to both target audiences, the competition allowed for entries that had followed the recipes provided, as well as original recipes from the more experienced home cooks. The concept supported the overarching marketing strategy of reminding consumers to start their day with an egg, as well as prove that it is possible to enjoy a healthy-protein based breakfast in the time most Australians allocate to breakfast. It also allowed us to communicate the key differentiating health benefit of eating eggs for breakfast: boosting satiety.