Progresso Soup Fields Online Films

General Mills has begun a series of online films to pitch Progresso Microwavable Bowls to young women at work.

The “soup operas” run on a dedicated site, Homesweetcube.com, hosted by the fictitious office manager “Edith.” Three separate storylines have three short films each; their endings let viewers choose to watch the next film or follow a separate storyline to solve a mystery in the film. Publicis Dialog, New York, handles.

It's similar to a campaign that Panasonic w rapped up in January: an online film with several twists built on one short scene from Panasonic's TV spot, a woman in a red dress in a funeral procession. A Lady in Red sweeps let players solve the mystery to vie for a trip to Geneva, Switzerland to claim a $5,000 Swiss bank account and a safety deposit box full of Panasonic goods (Dec. 8 Xtra). Renegade Marketing Group, New York, handled.

At Progresso's site, a Home Sweet Cube contest rewards the homiest offices in three categories: Most Zen, Most Remarkable, and Most Personal. Entrants send in an essay and photo; one finalist in each category wins $250 in cash, a three-month supply of Progresso Microwave Bowls soup (that's 60 bowls), four Progresso Soup spoons and a pair of Progresso Soup slippers. (In the first film, Edith gives the new mail clerk a pair of slippers his first day on the job; everyone else is already wearing them.) The grand-prize winner, chosen from the three finalists, wins another $500 in cash. The contest runs through April 7, with winners announced May 1.

Minneapolis-based General Mills launched Progresso Microwavable Bowls last month in convenience stores. The six-item line of single-serve soup sells for $3 each; flavors are Chicken Noodle, Minestrone, Lentil, Italian Style Wedding, Chicken Wild Rice and Vegetable.