ADVERTISING WATCH 1996-03-11

A HEALTHY PUSH FOR DELI MEATS

althy Choice here is building a marketing and advertising support program around an expansion of its health-oriented deli meats with five new "hearty deli flavor" products.

The new sliced, prepackaged meats will be featured in advertisements in national consumer magazines in April and May, and in the spring issue of its own magazine, Choices for Living.

The new products -- roasted turkey breast, baked honey ham, brown sugar cured ham, zesty corned beef and rotisserie seasoning chicken breast -- join a lineup of more than 50 Healthy Choice meats and cheeses.

SOUPED-UP MOBILE

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. -- You won't get the blue plate special, but you're sure to get some soup at the Knorr Cup Cafe, an integrated marketing campaign by CPC International here, maker of Knorr Soups.

The Cafe is actually a recreational vehicle that drives from site to site. It will hit the road for 10 months, visiting major cities and staying for approximately two weeks in each market. The Cafe's staff will deliver more than 1 million free samples of Knorr Cup Products -- a line of soups, pastas and meals.

The Cafe, shaped like a 1950s diner with bar stools, booths and outdoor umbrellas, can hold up to 35 people. It will be stopping at high-traffic special events, office complexes, college campuses and supermarkets.

From January through December, the Knorr Cup Cafe will deliver 50,000 products to Second Harvest food banks, the largest charitable American hunger relief organization.

DOLE STRESSING LUNCH FOR ONE

SALINAS, Calif. -- Dole Fresh Vegetables here is giving strong marketing support to the introduction of a line of single-serving prepackaged salads called Lunch for One.

The 5- to 7-ounce Lunch for One packages include a mix of lettuce and other vegetables, bread sticks or melba toast, and dressing for a suggested retail price of about $1.79. The product is available in four varieties: Caesar, classic ranch, raspberry vinaigrette and Italian. Lunch for One began shipping last month.

The product, available nationwide, is being marketed specifically to working women and mothers as an alternative to restaurants and fast food chains, said Chris Mayhew, senior marketing manager of new products.

Advertisements in magazines such as Ladies' Home Journal and Woman's Day will focus on the product's portability. Radio ads will run in 10 markets. One freestanding insert will drop this month and another will drop next month.

FREEMAN, 3M ADD SAMPLING WRINKLE

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Freeman Cosmetics here has joined with 3M Health Care, St. Paul, Minn., in a year-long promotion and sampling effort.

A free 3M Buf-Puf facial sponge will be shrinkwrapped with Freeman Botanical, Beautiful Skin and Beautiful Bath treatment lines. These packages begin shipping this month and continue shipping through May. The offer is valued at $1.50, according to Freeman.

Next, the two manufacturers will drop a joint freestanding insert to over 31 million households Aug. 25. The FSI will offer two coupons: 50 cents off a Freeman product and 75 cents off a Buf-Puf.

At the end of the year, two free Freeman hair, skin or bath sachets will be packed with nearly 500,000 Buf-Puf boxes. The Buf-Puf containers will also carry a 50-cent Freeman coupon. This consumer offer is also valued at $1.50.

COORS GOES TO BAT FOR SOFTBALL

GOLDEN, Colo. -- Coors Brewing Co. here is teaming up with the Amateur Softball Association to create the Coors Light Presents USA Softball World Series, the first nationwide, slow-pitch softball championship.

Amateur teams will compete in a series of local qualifying tournaments, yielding 32 winners who will head to the regional championships. The eight regional winners will square off in October for the World Series but the tournament's location is still being selected.

Teams can register for the competitions by returning forms obtained from in-store displays or by competing in one of the 300 nationwide competitions sponsored by Coors distributors.

The winning teams will receive prize money in the final three levels of competition, climaxing with a $100,000 check for the series winner.

More than 350,000 players are expected to compete in the World Series, the company said.

To celebrate the event, Coors is introducing the industry's first bat-shaped beer bottle. The 18-ounce bottles will shelves in most stores this month.