Baking&Snack - February 2017 - 58

GRAIN FOODS MARKETING

O'Connor, president, Wheat
Foods Council (WFC).
"Bakers need to be part
of a sustained education
initiative."
WFC has developed a fourpronged communications strategy
to better inform stakeholders about the
nutritional value of wheat and
wheat foods. The organization is working to continue
its longstanding partnership with registered dieticians, providing them with
the most current nutritional
information and scientific
research. It is also promoting
improved awareness of the
health benefits of enriched
flour, reaching out to personal trainers to better educate
them about the nutritional
value of grain foods and promoting true and positive information about the future of
wheat production in the US.
The
Grain
Foods
Foundation (GFF) provides
the industry with constructive information about the
health benefits of grains not
only through original research but also through effective educational resources.
The foundation communicates these findings to policy
makers,
health
care
professionals,
the media and ultiRye bread was the first
creation out of a Schwebel 's mately consumers.
oven 110 years ago.
"We are constantly working with investors to deterSchwebel Baking Co.
mine what questions or claims we can answer on behalf
of the industry with the help of scientific advisory board
experts or through funding additional research projects," said Christine Cochran, executive director, GFF.
In addition to health and wellness, bread enhances
the everyday meal occasion.
"The view of bread, especially fresh bakery bread, is
changing as more consumers seek fresh food and appreciate bread for what it is, a nourishing, tasty food made
with a minimal amount of ingredients," Mr. Richard said.

Social media momentum
It's been more than a year since Oprah declared her love
for bread, and more recently tacos and pasta, and her

58 Baking & Snack February 2017 / www.bakingandsnack.com

ability to enjoy it while losing weight and getting healthy
on her Weight Watchers plan. Her endorsement of bread
as part of a nutritious diet was seen by some in the baking industry as an opportunity to renew people's positive
perceptions about grain-based foods.
"Oprah's affirmation about bread last year is what we
at Schwebel's have known all along. We know bread is
delicious. We know bread is good for you," Mr. Schwebel
said. "We're glad Oprah officially joined our ranks with
the comments she shared."
Following the social media buzz and traditional coverage generated by Oprah's declaration, GFF and BEMA
partnered to create the "I Love Bread" campaign. While
inspired by Oprah's proclamation, the campaign took a
completely different direction.
"We worked with comedic composer, Parry Gripp,
who has his own dedicated following, to create a custom
song, and we also worked with an illustrator to create a
bright and dynamic animated video," Ms. Cochran said.
"This enabled bread lovers everywhere to sing along to a
catchy tune that showcased the 'I Love Bread' mantra."
GFF and BEMA received positive feedback from individuals and businesses, including GFF investors and
BEMA members. The groups observed how organizations and consumers organically shared the video on
their own channels. To date, the "I Love Bread" video
has more than 1.6 million views.
"This campaign encouraged an overwhelmingly positive sentiment toward bread and bread consumption,
which allowed us to reach new audiences in a strategically silly way," Ms. Cochran noted.
GFF and BEMA believe the most direct way to engage with consumers is through online, social channels.
It was a conscious decision to keep their "I Love Bread"
video unbranded, so it was easily used as a theme song
for consumers rather than a commercial.
"Our industry supported the content by sharing not
only the video but also other social assets created to
support the project on their own social channels," said
Kerwin Brown, president and CEO, BEMA. "This social
sharing further helped to engage with bread lovers and
raise awareness for the song."
Oprah's endorsement may have made an immediate
impact, but it was short-lived, and many in the industry
believe that long-term interaction with customers and
education of consumers is the key. The biggest takeaway
from Oprah's comments seemed to be the importance of
social media campaigns and reaching out to consumers
using those platforms.
"I think a coupling of the Oprah Weight Watchers 'I
love bread' advertising along with the GFF and BEMA
'I love Bread' social media campaign opened the industry's eyes to the potential power of social media and the

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