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Nielsen Insights in Action:New Markets, Beefed Up SalesBall Park relies on Nielsen to identiy untappedproft pools 

Case Study

First served in 1957 to ans attending Detroit Tigers baseballgames, Ball Park Franks quickly grew rom a local sporting eventtreat to one o America’s avorite hot dogs. A classic advertisingcampaign touting the hot dogs that “Plump when you cook them!”only increased Ball Park’s brand recognition over the years.

Despite its acquisition by Sara Lee in 1989, Ball Park remained adistant number two player in the $1.6 billion hot dog category.In 2005, an attempt to ignite growth through large summerpromotions aimed at adult males generated disappointingresults. The company realized that gaining ground on its main

competitor would require a resh look at hot dog consumers anda corresponding shit in its marketing and product developmentstrategies.

Seeing the need to attract new customers, Ball Park partnered with The Cambridge Group, a division o TheNielsen Company, to help identiy its most proftable opportunities going orward. For years, Sara Lee hadgeared many o its marketing eorts toward the group responsible or eating more hot dogs than any other:men who grill out during the summer months. Ball Park believed this segment, which accounted or roughly10% o hot dog sales, represented its strongest prospect or growth.

But as numerous competitors battled over this key demographic, it became clear to Cambridge and Ball Park

that improving sales would mean concentrating on new, untapped demand proft pools.

By taking a look at a wider range o hot dog consumers, Cambridge ound a vast, year-round market thathad been virtually ignored by the hot dog industry: teen and “tween” boys. Research confrmed what manyparents know about their own middle and high schoolers – these boys tend to eat large amounts o ood andoten gravitate toward options that are easy to prepare. In a number o ways, they were the perectconsumers or the oods Ball Park oered.

CompanyBall Park Franks

The BusinessIssue

Company Facts

Ball Park Franks

• Founded in 1957 as theexclusive hot dog suppliero the Detroit Tigers

• Varieties include Angus,

Bee, Turkey, Fat Free, Chee• Acquired by Sara Lee Corp.

in 1989 

The Solution

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Nielsen Insights in Action:New Markets, Beefed Up Sales

Case Study

“Their consumer-centric

approach has helped us

drive growth and also

helped us become #1

after having been the

eternal #2 in the hot

dog category”

To learn more about how Nielsen can help with your promotionalstrategies, contact sales.us@nielsen.com or visit www.nielsen.com

Copyright © 2011 The Nielsen Company. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. Nielsen and the Nielsen

logo are trademarks or registered trademarks o CZT/ACN Trademarks, LLC. 10/1686

Philippe Schaillee,

Chie Marketing Ofcer o Sara Lee

North American Retail & Foodservice

A Win-winOutcome

Ball Park soon discovered that reaching out to new audiences was just what it needed. Within nine months,more male teens and tweens were asking or Ball Park by name, thanks to Sara Lee’s demand-based strategyand marketing. Within a year, household penetration had grown 3.5 points, aster than any other brand inthe entire Sara Lee line up.

Ball Park’s Angus Bee Franks proved just as successul. In three years, Ball Park’s sales rose nearly 40% to$400 million, with much o its growth coming rom the new Angus product. Meanwhile, the company’s

market share climbed rom 18% to 21%. Sara Lee claimed the ultimate prize in 2009 when Ball Park tookover the top spot in the category.

“Our collaboration with The Cambridge Group has been excellent,” Schaillee said. “Their work on Ball Parkled to breakthrough discoveries and helped us build strategies that were a radical departure rom the past.Their consumer-centric approach has helped us drive growth and also helped us become #1 ater havingbeen the eternal #2 in the hot dog category.”

Meeting these consumers’ demands meant addressing both theboys and their moms. Sara Lee embarked on a multi-acetedmarketing approach. The Ball Park team embarked on a savvyadvertising approach that used online videogame sites suchas Major League Gaming to reach the boys. The company’smessaging emphasized the convenience o its product – animportant actor or kids grabbing a quick ater-school snack.Cambridge surveys showed moms elt more comortable withall-bee hot dogs than other varieties, and all-bee subsequentlybecame the ocus o Ball Park’s new strategy. Thereore Sara Leedeveloped new marketing tactics aimed at moms to demonstrate

that Ball Park hot dogs were high-quality oods or their children.

“We dove much deeper into our understanding o the consumerand shopper and ound an exciting new target—moms with teenboys,” said Philippe Schaillee, chie marketing ofcer o Sara LeeNorth American Retail & Foodservice. “This not only shited ourstrategy 180 degrees, but it helped us build a long term platormaround “guy oods”.

Though Cambridge’s research had resulted in an interesting new teen market, Ball Park wanted to go astep urther by aligning its product portolio with consumer demand. The key or Cambridge was buildingan extensive palate map that documented which characteristics consumers like and don’t like about hotdogs. In the process, the company ound another large, under-served piece o the market: eaters o “super-

premium bee.” While they comprised a whopping 22% o the palate map, these taste- and texture-sensitiveconsumers accounted or just 6% o industry sales. The fndings suggested tremendous potential or a new,high-end product – Ball Park’s Angus Bee Franks, introduced in 2008.