Activia shakes things up with big campaign

Danone is gearing up to launch the first global marketing campaign for its Activia yogurt, “Dare to Feel Good,” featuring Colombian performer Shakira as the brand’s new ambassador.

The international campaign targeting women 30 to 65 was to launch in more than 50 countries, including Canada, on March 16 with the harmonized airing of a TV spot featuring Shakira performing her signature belly dancing moves. Her new song “Dare (La La La)” serves as the soundtrack to the ad (which leaked online Wednesday).

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Danone has also posted additional campaign content including behind-the scenes footage of the commercial at a redesigned Activia.com.

According to Pauline Varga, vice-president of marketing at Danone Canada, each country will launch a local execution of the global campaign, with Canada’s set to debut early next month.

It will continue the same “Dare to Feel Good” message as the global initiative, but will be tailored to Canadian audiences and focus on Activia Regular, Greek, Double Zero and Fibre products.

Similar but separate executions will run in Quebec.

“We want people to understand that when you feel good inside, you feel good outside and it shows,” said Varga.

“When you don’t have healthy gut flora, it prevents you from doing what you’d like to do. When you’re feeling good inside, you can dance, be who you want to be, you can move, you can be happy, radiant and smile,” Varga said.

Shakira (who has signed a one-year contract with the brand) will be featured in the Canadian ads.

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“Shakira embodies the radiance that Activia consumers feel,” Varga said. “I think she’s the best brand ambassador we could have. She’s a mom, she’s an active person, she’s always smiling, she’s easy-going and she’s very close to what we’d like to express for our brand.”

Activia launched in Canada 10 years ago and is sold in more than 70 countries. It’s the largest fresh dairy brand in the Danone Dairy portfolio and contains one billion of Bifidobacterium lactis per 100 gram portion, a probiotic believed to contribute to healthy gut flora.

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