Kraft, Loblaw, Target and Ultima among year's top marketers

Four major food industry brands are among this year's top 10 marketers according to industry magazine Marketing.

Loblaw, Target, Ultima Foods and Kraft are listed alongside companies like Sport Chek, McDonald’s and Samsung in the annual Marketers of the Year issue.

The winning companies, writes Marketing, were chosen because they “looked at the world around them, separated trends from fads, determined what consumers want and need, and responded in profoundly important ways.”

Loblaw was praised for launching the popular reality TV show Recipe to Riches, in which home cooks compete to have their creations turned into President’s Choice products. The show draws an estimated 640,000 viewers each week, and puts Loblaw’s products and consumers into the spotlight.

The retailer also got props for the buzz generated around the November 2011 opening of its flagship Maple Leaf Gardens store. The location has its own Twitter handle, the magazine adds, enabling it to directly engage with its customers.

Target Canada got the thumbs up for “marking its territory” on Canada’s retail scene this year. The cheap-chic retailer has positioned itself as a cool and distinctive brand through the many creative events and promotions it organized (including setting up a “Target Hotel” during the Toronto International Film Festival), and through its well-advertised Canadian partnerships.

Target was also applauded for opening a one-day pop-up store in downtown Toronto. Talk about a tease!

Ultima Foods made the list, thanks to launching a new brand in the already crowded yogurt market. That brand, Iogo boasts 44 products across seven lines and was launched “across the country this year with a bang.”

Ultima is credited for creating new flavours and packaging innovations, as well as launching a national marketing campaign that brought together TV spots, billboards and food trials.

The final food company on the list, Kraft Canada, got props for delivering “the right content to the right audience in the right channel.”

The company targeted male millennials with quirky ads to promote Mio, the liquid water enhancer. For its successful Tassimo division, Kraft partnered with Second Cup and Tim Hortons to grow the single-serve coffee category and draw new consumers.