Knorr Sidekicks

Competition in the meal accompaniment category was heating up. Uncle Ben’s had introduced Bistro Express, a rice side dish ready in two minutes (vs. 20 for Sidekicks), and Uncle Ben’s rice was perceived as a healthier option. To address these issues, Unilever’s Knorr brand introduced a line of lower sodium Sidekicks.

But consumers had become desensitized to the low salt message (it was expected) and delivering the news at face value wouldn’t be enough. Also, with the crazy pace of their daily existence, parents are often forced to rely on fast, easy (and thus usually less healthy) pre-packaged meal solutions.  

So instead of treating the health message in the usual serious terms, DDB decided to take a warm, witty, family-friendly approach with a character who was feeling emotional about the thought of life with less salt. Enter Salty, a lovable but dejected little salt shaker.

The integrated campaign launched on TV. With Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” as the backdrop, Salty trudged out into a dark and stormy night, unloved. The spot culminated with Salty watching the family enjoying the product and then crying salty tears.

Salty’s story was brought to print, digital, direct mail and in-store. He was given a YouTube channel, Twitter feed, Facebook fan page, and would even pop up on Chatroulette to tell people how he was coping.

Job posters were placed around Toronto and Vancouver as Salty extended his job search to auto detailing, house cleaning and lawn care.

Actual salt and pepper shakers – Salty and Pep – made it into homes with neck tags that stated, “Use me sparingly.”

During the Q1 2010 period, the Salty campaign drove Sidekicks to the highest dollar volume (by quarter) the brand had seen in three years. It overtook Uncle Ben’s as the number one brand in the category.

Sidekicks.ca witnessed a 500% increase in consumer traffic, the highest in the brand’s history. Salty also became a social media star with 80,000+ Facebook fans and 500,000 YouTube views (and counting). And in less than 25 days, the first wave of 20,000 shakers sold out.

They created a campaign well worth its salt, even if it had been reduced by 25%.