Chobani pushes multi-product strategy with anime-inspired campaign

For many consumers over the last year, the pandemic presented an opportunity to focus on exercise and healthier food choices. Greek yogurt is often cited by nutritionists as a great option for health-conscious consumers, and Chobani is in a prime position to benefit. The company started expanding its product line recently with oat milk, creamer, probiotic drinks, and more, but the marketing is only now catching up. A new 30-second, animated ad spot presents a future in which people, robots, and nature work together in harmony, and the picnic table shows multiple Chobani products feeding a family.

While embracing the trend towards simple, organic ingredients, Chobani wants to be known as much more than a yogurt company, Meredith Madden, SVP of Marketing Strategy and Insights at Chobani, told Adweek. Its oat-based line could be especially appealing, but it faces stiff competition from Swedish brand Oatly, a popular choice among baristas. The same night that Chobani ran its first oat milk commercial, Oatly debuted its 30-second Super Bowl spot for $5.5 million. Oatly also recently announced that it’s planning an IPO, and according to The Wall Street Journal Chobani could go public later this year, valued between $7-$10 billion.

Oat milk accounts for around two-thirds of “alt-milk” consumed in Sweden and is becoming more popular in America as well. Chobani believes it can help to make the product mainstream; as Fast Company pointed out, Chobani’s oat line is “designed to boost sales even further by moving the company into an increasingly popular section of the grocery store.”

Chobani’s products have become increasingly popular among Millennials, and there have been notable gains for the brand among Baby Boomers as well, according to Interpret’s New Media Measure®. For the latter, products that incorporate milk alternatives may be attractive since lactose intolerance becomes a bigger problem with age. As for Millennials, concerns about carbon footprints and animal-based products could also give Chobani’s brand momentum.

Chobani will release more ads under its new campaign in the coming weeks. The spots will run across broadcast television, online, and paid social through the spring.