Danactive yogurt tells it like it is

Danone Canada’s new DanActive campaign does not promise better performance or list health-boosting ingredients.

Each ad reminds consumers that DanActive drinkable yogurt, though it won’t help beat traffic, clear the snow storm, speed up the eight-hour drive to Edmonton, or fast-track a boring meeting, it is “deliciously good at breakfast.”

“It was the goal to be straightforward and simple,” said Alex Lefebvre, account director at Saint-Jacques Vallée Y&R, the ad agency for DanActive. Lefebvre points to other brands that use over-the-top slogans and make big promises.

“We are presenting the product in a realistic framework. It’s convenient, it is a good way to kick-start the day, but it isn’t going to make your ski boots any better.”

DanActive, a decade-old line at Danone, already has a large following. Research found the largest concentration of DanActive consumers are busy, active, parents who live outside big cities–Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary–and do a lot of commuting.

Instead of going the traditional TV and print route (as DanActive has done in the past), Y&R decided to focus on roadside billboards, bus shelter posters, and digital banners on sites like TheWeatherNetwork.com, TheGlobeAndMail.com and Chatelaine.com.

“They are stuck and frustrated in traffic or waiting at the cold bus stop, and we put a pop of colour and a touch of humour that reflects their situation in today’s setting,” Lefebvre said.

The national effort includes a 30-second radio spot, out of home and digital ads that will change in real-time to correspond with local weather and events throughout 2015. Carat Montréal handled the media buy.

This article first appeared in Marketing Magazine