Clif Bar launched “Make It Good,” this week, the biggest campaign in the company’s 27-year history. The whimsical, hyperbole-sprinkled video spot personifies, literally, the brand’s iconic “climber” logo.
The video is narrated by the climber character who cycles through a series of playful vignettes, each representing one of Clif’s core values. This is reflected by the “Make It Good” slogan: “Whether it’s our food, our planet, or our relationship with our people – we’re on a mission to do one thing only – make it good.”
Clif’s half-minute and 90-second ads will debut during the NBA playoffs and be featured at live events, cinemas and across major media outlets through June 2019.
The new spots are in stark contrast to one of Clif Bar’s more recent campaigns. For the “Clif Bar Adventure Campaign,” the company created an interactive choose-your-own-adventure that lived on YouTube. The new spots still aim at Clif Bar’s active, outdoorsy audience and also emphasize the company’s environmentally-conscious attitude; it also finds the 30-year old company loosening its belt.
“The CLIF logo character speaks for the first time while cycling through a series of playful vignettes from organic farms to a magical, sustainable bakery with real people making good, organic food,” said Dan Hickle, vice president of Clif brand marketing, in a press release. “The intent of these ads is to inspire people to ‘Make it Good’ one positive action at a time.”
These new spots could also be Clif Bar’s pitch to a younger audience. RetailMeNot’s “2019 Retail Marketing Playbook” published by eMarketer shows that 66 percent of internet users 18 and up believe brands should take a stand on important social issues.
“To us, values don’t just live on a conference room wall – they drive every decision we make. We hope that this campaign gets people talking and acting on how their food choices can make a positive impact in the world,” said CEO Kit Crawford.
In March, Clif challenged KIND to use all-organic ingredients. KIND fought back by launching a campaign to expose hidden sweeteners in rival bars Clif and RxBar. KIND commissioned a survey through Morning Consult that revealed 78 percent of respondents couldn’t identify the main difference between sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners.
The winner of the dust-up could come down to being honest with consumers. According to findings from a Sprout Social report, 86 percent of consumers said that brand transparency is “very important,” and 73 percent said they would be willing to pay more for products that “guarantee total transparency.”
