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Ben’s Original campaign features real families and the unique ingredients that make each of them original
Mars Food has introduced the first Ben’s Original global marketing campaign – “Everyone’s Original.” The new campaign is linked with the brand’s ongoing commitment to enhance inclusion and equity in service of its purpose to offer everyone a seat at the table.
“The inspiration for the new campaign came from the simplest of places – our brand name,” said Rafael Narvaez, Global CMO and R&D Officer, Mars Food. “Original not only speaks to the quality of the world’s best rice brand but also our vision of inclusivity that celebrates individuality. We are not defined by our age, gender, sexuality or race – what defines us are the personality traits and quirks that make us all unique. Because we’re individuals … we’re all original.”
The first commercials from the new campaign, called “We’re all original recipes,” are designed to showcase the ‘ingredients’ that make us who we truly are. The commercials are based on a simple question – what if we gave different families the same ingredient – a pouch of Ben’s Original rice? The content shows the unique recipes, traditions and interactions that make each of the real families originals.
The commercials feature a collection of six real families who gather around the table for their favourite meals featuring Ben’s Original jasmine rice. The families include a Black nuclear family, a pair of friends, three roommates, a single-parent family, a family that uses sign language and a multi-generational Pakistani family.
The fully integrated campaign developed by The&Partnership, will first air in the US before rolling out to Australia, the UK, Germany, Canada and France in the coming months. The first commercial includes a variety of television ads and a minute-long anthemic piece, as well as digital, social and video-on-demand formats that will air on a variety of different platforms.
Since announcing the new brand name last September, Ben’s Original brand has focused on taking action through community outreach programs around the world to ensure underserved communities have access to the nutritious meals we all deserve.
In addition, the brand’s Seat at the Table Fund is designed to create equal opportunities for people to pursue careers in the food industry so their ideas and voices can be appreciated by all. The first Seat at the Table scholarship fund was launched in the US to support Black culinary students.
The scholarship, which was developed with National Urban League and UNCF (United Negro College Fund), covers education-related expenses for students towards the completion of a food business, science or culinary arts certificate, Associate or Bachelor’s degree. The brand is also funding apprenticeships in the UK, which will launch later this year.
Last month, in the US Mars Food also announced a US$3.1M/£2.2M donation of product to long-standing national partners including Feeding America and CARE, as well as a variety of local partners in communities where the business operates, including in Greenville, Miss., Chicago, Ill. and Newark, NJ.
In the UK, the brand donated £100,000 to the Trussell Trust to help the organisation achieve its vision of a hunger-free future. Mars Food plans to make similar donations to partners in a variety of countries in the next several months.
The brand also committed to investing US$2.5M/£1.8M over the next five years to improve access to healthy foods and education in Greenville, Miss., where the brand has been produced for more than 43 years. Part of this effort includes a new partnership with MolinaCares and the Kroger Delta Division to bolster food access and education programs in the Mississippi Delta region.
These steps are in addition to commitments from Mars, Incorporated, to continue to improve racial equity throughout our business, from increased representation in our workforce, leadership and talent pipeline, to better utilising our spend, specifically amongst our suppliers, to drive positive change.
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