Apr 5, 2006 6:03 AM, PROMO Xtra

Equal gets out the vote

Merisant has begun an election-style bus tour to stump for Equal sweetener, the largest ever event-marketing push for the brand.

The six-market Equal Campaign Bus Tour is the cornerstone of a multi-pronged Campaign for Flavor effort to sample the sweetener, including new Equal Flavor Sticks, and raise brand awareness. The double-decker bus serves as a "Café on Wheels," with stops at retail stores and local lifestyle events.

"Campaigners" give samples of coffee and tea with Equal and ask consumers to vote for their preferred flavor. Visitors also can sample Flavor Sticks, packets of flavored Equal in three varieties: Vanilla Bean, Lemon and Peach. Teams also give away a custom-published travel guide from Zagat that lists top spots for brewed beverages in 10 cities. FSIs support.

The tour began in February in Miami, and hosted 10,000 consumers in its first three days. The tour ends in mid-July with stops in Philadelphia, Washington, New York, Boston and Chicago. 141 Worldwide, Chicago, handles the campaign; its experiential division, 141Boomerang, handles the tour.

Merisant also redesigned Equal.com to dovetail with the tour; the site offers drink recipes, highlights from the Zagat guide, e-cards (inviting friends for a drink, or coffee) and an e-mail newsletter with drink ideas.

"Our research shows that people who use Equal have a passion for the brand," said Susan Silver, director of North American marketing at Merisant. "The campaign ... encourages consumers to demand a better-tasting beverage with Equal."

Equal needs the boost. Its dollar sales fell nearly 13% to $56.4 million for 52 weeks ended March 19, per Information Resources Inc. Sales for the category were flat at nearly $364 million in food, drug and mass outlets excluding Wal-Mart, per IRI. Category leader Splenda, whose 57% share dwarfs Equal's 16.3% share, saw sales rise nearly 11% to $198 million, per IRI.

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