Country Harvest redefines the term ‘breadwinner’
Country Harvest has launched an advertising campaign highlighting a group of Canadians who don’t fit with the widely accepted notion of a “breadwinner.”
Built around a five-part podcast entitled Meet the Breadwinners, the “#AllBreadwinners” campaign takes aim at the widely held belief that men are the primary wage earners, while women are best suited to nurturing roles.
According to a national survey commissioned by Country Harvest prior to the campaign, 60% of Canadians believe the term “breadwinner” is masculine. In addition, more than one-third (37%) of women feel pressure to uphold traditional gender roles at home, while 25% of men feel that women should be responsible for the majority of childcare.
“We really wanted to change the conversation and challenge what people were thinking,” says Sonia Bongiorno, senior manager, marketing brand build at Country Harvest’s parent company, Weston Foods. “We wanted to find an opportunity where we can lean in on a conversation that impacted
Hosted on iHeartRadio, the podcast episodes feature a diverse group of Canadians sharing their experience as non-traditional breadwinners. They include Canada’s first black female stunt coordinator, a first-generation Canadian who is independently supporting her household, and a stay-at-home dad.
The campaign is an extension of a new brand positioning introduced earlier this year using the tagline “Grab Life by the Grains.” Coinciding with the launch of a new product line called Grains+ (bread and bagel products fortified with nutrients including Omega-3, protein and fibre), the campaign is an attempt to build affinity for Country Harvest among young on-the-go professionals.
That campaign, developed in response to increased concerns among younger Canadians about their carb intake and so-called “wheat belly,” has produced a lift in several key performance metrics including brand affinity, says Bongiorno.
Brands have demonstrated that they are increasingly willing to take a stand on a range of social issues, from gender equality to climate change and sexual identify. Asked if a bread brand can credibly occupy a social consciousness space, Bongiorno was unequivocal.
“We felt that it was a really good place for us to be, and be a part of the conversation,” she says. “Country Harvest is being an enabler of this conversation, but we really want people to lean in and share their experiences in the hope of changing perceptions.”