Mrs. Fields Cookies

Challenge:
How to recapture this 25 year old luxury food brand’s top of mind awareness? How could a publicity campaign re-ignite the passion of long time customers and find new ones?

Strategy:
In the same way that we approach all of our client’s challenges, we always look to identify the existing or potential customer first and then find ways to persuade them to take a desired action. In this case, the company was suffering from a malaise that stemmed from a time worn brand that badly needed a face lift. The brand also suffered due to the fact that their sole distribution method was retail stores in aging shopping malls. In consideration of Mrs. Fields limited budgets and resources, we looked for an existing program to expand upon. We chose an amateur cookie contest, which was a regional mall program and developed it into a national partnership with NBC’s “Days of our Lives” and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.” “The Winning is Sweet: So Are the Days of Our Lives” promotion was a year-long no-cash endeavor that created:

• A new Mrs. Field’s “Days of Our Lives” cookie in 450 stores
• An opportunity for the Leukemia Society to fundraise in 450 stores and on national television
• Distribution and recognition for Mrs. Fields into Leukemia Walk—a-Thon events in 220 cities
• Awareness for Mrs. Fields Cookies on national television
• The use of the Days of our Lives celebrity cast for Mrs. Fields and Leukemia Society marketing
efforts

Results:
For Mrs. Fields cookies, the promotion resulted in:

• Sales stabilization during a decline
• $20 million in advertising equivalency
• captured 20 billion new impressions and a
• 600% return on investment
The coverage for this promotion resulted in 1000’s of press clips nationally, a highlight of outlets
included:

Associated Press
BrandWeek
CBS Nightly News
The Hollywood Reporter
Franchise Times
ABC Marketplace
Soap Opera Digest
Chicago Sun Times
Reuters
Dow Jones
Entertainment Tonight
Yahoo news
TV Guide
Wall Street Journal
Los Angeles Times
CNN
USA Today
New York Times