Executive Summary
This report first begins with analyzing the internal environment of Orville Redenbacher’s.
This internal analysis looks at the company mission statement and objectives, organization,
social responsibility plan, the financial status, and the past actions. The external analysis looks at
the nature of the popcorn market, Orville Redenbacher’s competitors, the economic environment,
social and cultural environment, technological environment, and the economic environment. The
analysis of the internal and external environment then allow for an analysis of the company’s
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
This marketing plan’s goal is to help enhance the brand of Orville Redenbacher’s along
with introducing three new flavors to the market. The target market for this campaign is defined
and explained. The description of the ten possible new products is then provided. Pricing
rationale for the new product is then explained. The promotional method for introducing the
three new flavors to the public is through a consumer vote, where consumers vote from ten
possible flavors through Twitter or online. The main marketing methods for the campaign are
through TV commercials, Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn trucks that travel around the country
giving sample to consumers. Internet, and Social Media. All of these marketing methods help to
achieve the overall goal of this campaign of further enhancing the Orville Redenbacher’s brand.
The distribution strategy of the new products concludes the marketing strategies section of the
plan.
The marketing plan concludes with an implementation and control plan where the action
items, timeline, responsible parties are listed along with an explanation of evaluation plans.
Company Background
According to ConAgra Foods Inc. (n.d.) on orville.com, Orville Redenbacher was born
on a farm in Indiana in 1907. He was growing his own popcorn kernels at just twelve years old,
and he would sometimes sell popcorn out of the back of his family’s car. He used these profits to
help pay for attending Purdue University. After graduating from college with a major in
agriculture, Orville dedicated most of his life to the agriculture industry. In 1951, he and his
business partner Charlie Bowman bought a seed corn plant in Indiana. They then spent years
producing hybrids of different popcorn kernels in order to make the lightest, fluffiest popcorn on
the market. By 1965, Charlie Bowman and Orville Redenbacher perfected their popcorn
hybrid. It is light and fluffy, leaves hardly any unpopped kernels, and achieves a 44:1 ratio in
volume of popped to unpopped kernels, while tasting great.
ConAgra Foods Inc. (n.d.) on orville.com goes on to state that in 1970, an advertising
agency advised that the name of the company should be Orville Redenbacher’s, and shortly after
the company began advertising in commercials. Suddenly, Orville’s face was everywhere. Their
main mode of promotion was thought television, which are now classics in advertising.
Eventually by 1990, Orville Redenbacher’s sold its company to agribusiness giant ConAgra Inc.
Internal Environment
Mission Statement and Objectives
As stated by ConAgra Foods Inc. (n.d.) on orville.com, Orville Redenbacher’s mission
statement is: “You’ll like it better or my name isn’t Orville Redenbacher.” That’s the promise
Orville made more than 40 years ago. He dedicated his life to making a lighter, fluffier popcorn.
Orville Redenbacher’s company objective is to increase revenue and unit sales. This correlates
right back to marketing. If the goal is to increase sales, they will do so by coming up with
multiple marketing plans.
Organization
According to the ConAgra Foods Inc. (n.d.) website, Orville Redenbacher is owned and
managed by ConAgra Foods. ConAgra has a team of eleven corporate leaders that oversee all of
the company’s branches, including Orville Redenbacher. This team consists of a CEO, VP of
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, VP of Technical and Operations Officer, VP Chief
Marketing Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, President of
Private Brands and Commercial Foods, President of Consumer Foods, Chief Strategy Officer,
and Chief Human Resources Officer. Each of these positions oversees a different part of Orville
Redenbacher and is directly involved in all of the aspects of the business.
Financial Highlights
To view Orville Redenbacher’s financial highlights please visit Appendix A.
Social Responsibility
According to ConAgra Foods Inc. (n.d.) on orville.com, The social responsibility of
Orville Redenbacher’s is split into three sections: profit responsibility, stakeholder responsibility,
and societal responsibility. When it comes to profit responsibility, Orville Redenbacher tries to
keep up with their competitors. They have come out with their own variations of popcorn and
seasonings. This allows them to stay competitive in their respective market.
Stakeholder responsibility is the second concept of social responsibility stated by
ConAgra Foods Inc (n.d.) on orville.com. Orville Redenbacher treats its employees, who have
much to do with the company’s success, very well. They provide safety audits and inspections to
make sure that the employees are safe while on the job. To enhance the safety aspect of Orville
Redenbacher they also give safety training and have safety and health accident reduction plans in
place.
The last concept of social responsibility by ConAgra Foods Inc. (n.d.) on orvill.com is
societal responsibility. Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn is made by ConAgra Foods, which is
located in Omaha, Nebraska. Because Nebraska has a large corn market, ConAgra Foods is
lucky enough to get their corn locally. This is both cost and environmentally efficient because
the corn does not have to be shipped from someplace else, meaning that they do not have to
spend nearly as much money/resources on fuel and transportation vehicles.
Past Company Activities
ConAgra Foods Inc. (n.d.) on orville.com tells the story of Orville Redenbacher. Orville
Redenbacher was born in Indiana, and grew up on his family's farm where he sometimes sold
popcorn from the back of his car. After college, he spent much of his life in the agriculture
industry. In 1951, he and partner Charlie Bowman bought a seed corn plant in Indiana. An
advertising agency advised them to use “Orville Redenbacher” as the brand name of the
company, according to Orville.com. They launched their popping corn in 1970, and Orville was
suddenly everywhere. He brought his gourmet popping corn to television commercials, which
are now classics in promotion. By the mid 1970s, Redenbacher and Bowman had captured a
third of the unpopped popcorn market. Eventually by 1990, they sold the popcorn business to
agribusiness giant ConAgra.
According to ConAgra Foods Inc. (n.d.) on orville.com, today, Orville Redenbacher’s
popcorn is still the lightest and fluffiest thanks to their hybrid control from harvest to packaging.
Since 1990, the array of products has expanded, including Smartpop! which is 94% fat free
directed toward health-conscious snackers. Other products with flavors such as Cheddar Cheese
and Spicy Nacho microwave popcorn flavors have been innovators for the company’s products.
By 2007, Orville’s high-quality standards led to the creation of a Natural line of popcorn, with
flavors such as Simply Salted, Buttery Salt and Cracked Pepper, and Lime & Salt. Rachel Ray
magazine names Lime & Salt “the best microwave popcorn” and Health magazine calls it “the
best snack food.” By 2011, the new Pop Up Bowl is introduced in order to make sharing and
clean-up easier. In 2012, the company developed ready-to-eat popcorn. This is superior to other
brands because the kernels are 30% bigger and fluffier. In 2013, Ready-to-Eat Pop Crunch is
added to the line of products. These snacks are loaded with flavor such as Parmesan Herb Mix
and Brown Sugar Cinnamon, and have half of the fat of regular potato chips. The company also
came out with a popcorn variety called Gourmet Naturals. They have white kernels and allnatural ingredients that add up to only half of the fat of regular Orville Redenbacher’s buttered
popcorn. They come in new flavors such as Garlic Butter and Sea Salt and Zesty Pepper
Butter. Today, the company promotes its product for family movie time by offering coupons in
specially marked boxes, such as Two Free Redbox Rentals and a free 2-liter of soda.
External Environment
Nature of the Market
Approximately all popcorn production is in the United States, and imports are minimal.
The major popcorn exports are to Mexico, Russia, South Korea, and Italy (Kruchkin, 2013).
Also, according to the Popcorn Board (n.d.), Americans consume 16 billion quarts of
popped popcorn yearly. Although popcorn is often associated with activities outside home, 90
percent of unpopped popcorn sales is home consumption. Fall is the peak point for popcorn sales
for home consumption and the sales remains high in the winter. Some of the top popcorn
producing states are Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Indiana, and Iowa. Popcorn is one of the
most affordable and healthy snack for different demographics such as kids, adults, males,
females, middle income, or high income.
Orville Redenbacher’s target markets vary from kids, teenagers to adults. On Orville
Redenbacher’s website there are different recipes such as: family recipe, party food, and after
school snack. These varieties of recipes lead to Orville Redenbacher’s target markets of families,
friends, and students to buy its products. Orville Redenbacher’s customers also include people
who avoid gluten because of gluten allergy, some types of diet, or other health issues, as Orville
Redenbacher’s products are gluten free.
Competitor Environment
The main popcorn competitors for Orville Redenbacher’s are Pop Weaver, Pop Secret,
Jolly Time, and ACT II. For more information on each of these competitors and their marketing
strategies, please visit Appendix B.
Technological Environment
Technological factors play a role as the Orville Redenbacher’s team is dedicated to
finding new and more exciting ways to distribute popcorn to customers. More recently, Orville
Redenbacher’s came out with the pop up bowl, after much time was put into technological
research and experiments to find the best way to make this bowl. Orville takes pride in their team
searching for new ways to draw in new and returning customers.
Cultural and Social Environment
Our culture depends on social media, technology, and continuous innovation. Much of
consumer’s social life also relies on social media and technology. Orville Redenbacher’s
connects with both of these cultural and social trends. According to ConAgra Inc. (n.d.) on
orville.com, Orville Redenbacher has a very strong social media presence on Facebook and
Instagram, asking their fans to hashtag #orvillemoment which allows others to see their
experiences with Orville Redenbacher’s products as well. By creating the hashtag
#orvillemoment, Orville Redenbacher’s is hoping to create some talk about their
products. Along with a social media presence, Orville Redenbacher’s has a great webpage with
a design very easy for fans to navigate through. On their webpage and social media sites, fans
are able to participate in their game “Pop & Win Instant” where they are able to win Orville
products. By continuously creating new flavors and products, Orville Redenbacher’s is hoping
to keep their fans satisfied and talking about their products.
Regulatory Environment
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) online (n.d.) “FDA issues
regulations to implement its statutory authority. The regulations can create binding obligations
and have the force of law.” Within 2014 alone, food defense, food ingredients and packaging,
and food labeling are all regulations that have been changed that may affect a company such as
Orville Redenbacher’s. There are several others within previous years that have been altered as
well, such as uses with dairy (may be used with butter popcorn), chemical additives, imports and
exports, and food safety. All of these regulations and rules have been changed in some way over
just the last year or two. As FDA regulations are constantly changing, it is highly important that
Orville stays up to date with these new rules, as they could find themselves in major trouble if
they were distributing food without being up to date with the new regulations.
Economic Environment
Orville Redenbacher established his company during a very hard time in the
economy. His goal however, was to allow for people of any financial circumstances to be able to
afford his products. Today as Orville Redenbacher is a very well-known brand of popcorn, that
goal remains the same. As our economy took another decline in 2008, popcorn sales were not
affected, as Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn is very reasonably priced, allowing people from all
financial backgrounds the availability to afford this tasty treat.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Weaknesses

Company history

ConAgra oversees many companies

Employee Oriented

ConAgra owns both Orville

Company Profit Stability
Redenbacher’s and ACT II
Opportunities
Threats

Brand popularity

Changing Market

Strong brand name

New products not going over well

Growing products

Several Competitors

Growing market

Competitors can make same products
Marketing Objective
To have Orville Redenbacher be the most memorable popcorn producer in the United States.
This will be supported through the introduction of three new microwave popcorn flavors
chosen by consumers.
Target Markets and Positioning
The audience we are targeting with our campaign is friends and family, or close knit
groups of people. We feel when people are together in unity, popcorn is always a great snack
whatever the occasion. No matter what the age range, people from one to ninety-nine are able to
enjoy this great treat.
As we are beginning to put our marketing strategies into action, we are hoping to appeal
to a large audience of friends and family, or close groups of people in unity. When large groups
of close friends or family are together, they are often sharing fun filled moments together,
making memories and Orville Redenbacher’s wants to be a part of that experience. Whether it’s
in the living room at home during a movie, at a sporting event, or during a performance, Orville
Redenbacher’s wants to be right there with you!
Product Strategies
Our marketing product goal is to bring three new flavored popcorn products to the
market. Our core product focus is placed on the benefits of eating microwave popcorn as a
healthy, shareable snack, and a way to get together with family and friends. We look specifically
at microwave popcorn because that is a popular product for all consumers due to its convenience
as opposed to kernel popcorn. We came up with 10 new mouthwatering popcorn flavors for
customers around the U.S. to vote on. We will use the top three winning votes on Twitter and
online to design new product labels on boxes of microwave popcorn. Our popcorn flavors are:
1. Dill Pickle 2. Blazing Tabasco 3. Fiesta (Taco) 4. Maple Syrup and Bacon 5. Ranch 6.
Birthday Cake 7. Chocolate Truffle 8. Fluffer Nutter 9. Coffee 10. Sweet & Sour
We will design the boxes of our actual microwave popcorn product with different colors
and logos depending on the flavors voted for. For example, we would make the Dill Pickle box
green with a pickle on it, or the Birthday Cake box would be many colors with confetti, or the
Maple Syrup and bacon would have a picture of pancakes and bacon, or the Blazing flavor with
flames on it with a chili pepper, and the Fluffer Nutter with a picture of peanuts in roasted
marshmallow fluff.
Our augmented product includes customer care, services, warranties, finances, and
deliveries. Customer care is addressed by the opportunities for potential consumers to sample our
products and vote on them via social media. Our face-to-face contact with the consumers will
benefit them as well as the company by humanizing it and showing our values as a company
have not altered from the original ideology of Orville Redenbacher himself. This combines
perfectly with the ease of access for voting from a cellular device or computer. We will continue
to deliver and serve the product in the same convenient places where there is a broad consumer
base, such as Wal-Mart, Target, and grocery stores. Finances will be the same as the regular
buttered popcorn price in order to add value to the consumer’s decision to purchase our product.
These factors all benefit the individual consumer, as well as the choice between three different
authentic flavors to experience based on their own votes.
Pricing Strategies
For this marketing plan we decided to keep the normal prices for popcorn. We chose to
do this so customers would purchase the popcorn. They will not be driven away from trying the
new flavors due to higher prices. The following chart is a list of current prices for Orville
Redenbacher’s microwave popcorn. Please view Appendix C for a chart of prices.
Promotional Strategies
Pop the Vote Campaign
We suggest introducing the three new flavors of Orville Redenbacher’s microwaveable
popcorn through consumer voting. Getting the customers involved is a way to create buzz among
consumers and allows for relationships to be built between the organization and consumers,
which in turn creates a more positive image of the organization. We would introduce ten possible
flavors to the public and have them vote for what flavors they want to see on the shelves by
Tweeting the name of a flavor followed by #popthevote. Consumers can also go on to the Orville
Redenbacher’s website and vote. There is no cap on the amount of times each consumer can
vote. This campaign will be announced on July 1, voting will end October 15, and the three
winning popcorn flavors will be announced and available for purchase on November 1. We
selected this time frame for the campaign because it allows the promotional aspects of the
campaign to align with the beginning of the school year, particularly for college students, and
allows the new popcorn flavors to be introduced just as the weather turns colder in much of the
country, the prime season for movie watching, which means the prime season for popcorn
eating!
Television Commercials
Orville Redenbacher’s originally stood out from its popcorn competitors through the
advertising method of television commercials. To keep with this successful and traditional
advertising method of the company, we will use two different TV commercials as the main
advertising method for this plan. For a complete description of both commercials, please see
Appendix D.
Internet
The Orville Redenbacher website, orville.com, will be a prime spot for promoting the
Pop the Vote Campaign and announcing the winning flavors. The home screen of the website
during the entire duration of the campaign will be dedicated to it. For a complete description of
how the website will be used please visit Appendix E.
Orville Redenbacher’s Popcorn Truck
To help promote the Pop the Vote campaign we will have 4 Orville Redenbacher’s
popcorn trucks, one for each region of the country, East, South, Midwest, and West. The four
trucks will be stocked with all 10 of the possible new Orville Redenbacher’s Popcorn Flavors.
Each truck will be traveling in their designated region of the country for two months, August 15
through October 15. Each truck will be run by five different Orville Redenbacher current
employees, with at least one manufacturing employee and one marketing employee. The truck
will travel to at least one city per day in the designated region, with one day off per week. The
scheduled truck list will be available for consumers to view on the Orville Redenbacher's
website. Each day there will also be an announcement on Facebook and Twitter as to each
truck’s location for the day. The truck will remain in each city for two to three hours. While at
each stop, one truck employee will film the action going on at the truck along with interviewing
different consumers about their reactions to the popcorn truck, the different flavors, and what
their favorite popcorn flavor they sampled was.
Social Media
Social media is a great method for free advertising along, a method for creating buzz
among consumers, and a way to interact with the public, creating a positive image for the
organization. We suggest to use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube as the social media
channels for this campaign. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram will all be connected, allowing for
a consistent message to be spoken on each channel, but the greatest amount of consumers to be
reached through the use of multiple channels. For a complete listing of how each social media
channel will be used specifically, please visit Appendix F.
Supply Chain Strategies
Our marketing channel would be an indirect channel. This is due to the fact that our
product, popcorn, is a low cost item. The distribution will be from wholesalers, to retailers, and
then to the consumers.
We will sell our products in the same mass merchandise stores that sells our previous
products such as Walmart, Target, and HyVee. Also, our product will be in the convenience
stores such as: Kwik star, Kwik trip, and Casey's General Store. The reason for not selling our
product in new places is that we would like to keep the same target market for the previous
products. As a result of keeping the same stores for distribution, consumers can find the new
product in the same stores that they use to buy from the previous products.
Action Plans
Action Items
Beginning
Date
Ending Date
Responsible
Party
Cost
1. Manufacture
all 10 potential
microwave
popcorn flavors
Prior to ending
date
July 1
Product
Development
Department and
Manufacturing
Agents
Unknown
2. Create Orville
Redenbacher’s
Popcorn Vans
May 1
July 1
Contracted Car
Designers
$500,000
3. Create and
distribute first
Pop the Vote TV
Commercial
4. Announce Pop
the Vote
Campaign in a
TV Commercial
July 1
July 14
Marketing
Department
$750,000
July 15
September 14
Marketing
Department
0
5. Announce
campaign on
Orville
Redenbacher’s
website and on
all social media
sites, including
embedding of
commercial
6. Voting
July 15
Ongoing
Online Experts of
Marketing
Department
0
July 15
October 15
Consumers
0
7. Social Media
promotion
July 15
Ongoing
Online Experts of
Marketing
Department
0
Remarks
At the end of
this time all 10
flavors will be
developed and
packaged for
sampling
At the end of
this time 4 vans
will be ready to
travel the four
regions of the
country to
distribute
samples
Commercial will
be filmed,
edited, and sent
to networks
The key to this
commercial is to
announce the
campaign and to
create a buzz
among
consumers
To allow more
consumers to be
notified of the
campaign and
give them a
point of
reference for the
flavors and
voting process
Vote on twitter
with
#popthevote or
on orville.com
Retweet
consumers votes,
post pictures and
videos of
consumers at
popcorn vans,
keep
encouraging
consumers to
vote
8. Popcorn vans
travel across the
country
August 15
October 15
20 employees of
Orville
Redenbacher’s
from a variety of
departments
within the
company (each
van to have at
least 1 person
from
manufacturing
department and 1
person from the
marketing
department)
Marketing
Department
Travel:
$240,000
Vans will stop at
approximately
one city a day in
their specific
region to
distribute
samples of 10
possible popcorn
flavors
9. Create and
distribute second
Pop the Vote
Campaign TV
Commercial
August 15
August 31
$300,000
Commercial will
be filmed,
edited, and sent
to networks
10. Run Second
Pop the Vote
Campaign TV
Commercial
September 1
October 15
Marketing
Department
0
November 1
January 1
Marketing
Department
0
October 16
Ongoing
Manufacturing
Department
Unknown
The goal of this
second
commercial is to
show the
consumers what
they are missing
out on if they are
not participating
in the campaign
and to let
consumers know
they still have
time to vote
Announces to
the public the
flavors they
chose to see on
the shelf and lets
them know the
flavors are now
available for
purchase
Create an
inventory of new
flavors to be
distributed to
consumers
11. Announce the
winning 3
popcorn flavors
online
12. Manufacture
winning three
flavors
13. Distribute
new flavors to
sellers
October 25
Ongoing
Distribution
Plants
Unknown
Have sellers in
possession of all
3 new flavors
before
November 1 so
they are put on
the shelves for
consumers to
buy on
November 1
Evaluation Methods
The effectiveness of this campaign will be measured in the amount of votes received,
amount of social media action, amount of press obtained, and through the amount of product
purchased during and after the campaign.
Appendix A
*Dollars in millions, except per-share amounts
May 26,
2013
May
27,
2012
Net sales
$15,491
$13,368
Gross profit
$3,560
$2,813
Operating profit
$1,842
$1,600
Income from continuing operations before income taxes and equity
method investment earnings
$1,149
$625
Income from continuing operations
$786
$474
Income attributable to ConAgra Foods, Inc., common stockholders
$774
$468
Diluted earnings per share attributable to ConAgra Foods, Inc.,
common stockholders
$1.85
$1.12
Common stock price at year-end
$34.77
$25.25
Annualized common stock dividend rate at year-end
$1.00
$0.96
Employees at year-end
34,840
26,100
*From Con Agra Food Inc.
Appendix B
Pop Weaver
Pop Weaver was founded in 1928 when Reverend Ira Weaver started shucking and
bagging his own popcorn and delivering it to his customers with this horse-drawn wagon.
(Weaver Popcorn Company, n.d.). Pop Weaver popcorn is distributed throughout the U.S. and in
more than 90 other countries around the world. Ira and his son, Welcome, established the Pop
Weaver mission statement: “to offer the world’s highest-quality, best tasting popcorn, at the
lowest possible price.” Pop Weaver has been in the Weaver family for four generations. The Pop
Weaver slogan is: “Better Taste, Better Value. Better for You.” Pop Weaver markets its
organization by stating different “Kernels of Wisdom” on their website, which are statements of
how Pop Weaver stands above the rest. Some examples of these statements are: “We supervise
the quality every step of the way, from seed to shelf,” “we use less packaging and ink which is
better for the planet,” “Weaver popcorn company produces over 30% of the world’s popcorn.”
Pop Weaver has been published in articles of several sources including the Chicago Tribune,
Glamour, and Family Circle. The main social media of Pop Weaver is Facebook.
Pop Secret
Pop Secret’s mission statement is: “we love movies as much as you love movies. In a
world that keeps creating more and more stuff to divide us, movies bring us together, So we’re
embarking on a mission to make movie watching and popcorn even more social and fun through
technology. Pretty progressive for a popcorn company founded way back in 1984, huh?”
(Diamond Foods, Inc.) The slogan of Pop Secret is: “The secret to movie night.” The mantra
they like to live by is: “Our kernels are your kernels. Share them with the world! Let’s use
popcorn and movies to change the universe. Or, you know, make it a better place to watch
movies, at least.” The main marketing tool used by Pop Secret is their Pop Secret Labs. This is
where they share their experiments or “kernels” as they call them. This is not a place to show off
their different popcorn flavors, but instead is a place where they reveal different apps, tools, and
partnerships. An example of one of their “kernels” is Pop Dongle, which is a scented video game
experience. One of the biggest social responsibilities of Pop Secret is Labels for education,
where they are proud to announce being the first and only popcorn brand to be a part of the
movement. The main social media used by Pop Secret is Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and a
Blog.
Jolly Time
The Jolly Time website proudly states that Jolly Time knows popcorn better than anyone
because they are the original brand name of popcorn in the U.S., being around since 1914
(American Popcorn Company, n.d.). Jolly Time is sold in all 50 states and around the world. It is
a family owned company, run by the fourth generation in Sioux City, Iowa, and employs about
185 people. Their slogan is: “Oh Yum.” Everything done at Jolly Time is based on four
principles: (1) Family is the Culture of the Company, (2) Pride is Essential to the Company’s
Success, (3) Superior Quality is the Hallmark of the Products, and (4) The Jolly Time brand is
the Centerpiece of all Decisions. To help promote the Jolly Time brand and to also encourage
customer purchasing of its products, Jolly Time offers coupons, free give a ways with proof of
specified number of purchases (pedometer, grocery bag, water bottle, Weight Watchers
subscriptions), recipes, virtual popcorn process tour, and virtual Jolly Time history. The social
media used by Jolly Time is primarily Facebook and Twitter. Jolly Time also uses TV
commercials to help promote their brand and organization as a whole.
ACT II
The ACT II popcorn brand is owned by the same company as Orville Redenbacher’s,
ConAgra Foods (ConAgra Foods Inc., n.d.). ACT II first began in 1978 when Golden Valley
Microwave Foods came up with the idea to make products solely for microwaves. In 1981 a
frozen product called ACT I was introduced. In 1984 Golden Valley created a new popcorn bag
which allowed the popcorn to be popped in any microwave; the product was called ACT II. In
1986 the company went public and was then bought by ConAgra goods in 1991. In 1999
ConAgra produced more than 1 billion bags of popcorn, making them the largest popcorn
manufacturer in the world. To help promote the ACT II brand and encourage customer
purchasing ACT II gives recipes, crafts, and popcorn facts to their consumers.
Appendix C
Bag Size
Price
3 Count
$2.98
6 Count
$3.98
10 Count
$4.98
Appendix D
The first commercial’s focus is to introduce the Pop the Vote campaign the public. The
commercial will begin with a black and white clip of an old commercial of Orville Redenbacher
in the kitchen popping his popcorn saying the brand’s famous slogan, “You’ll like it better or my
name isn’t Orville Redenbacher.” The commercial will then make a fast forward noise and
transition to a colored clip of Orville Redenbacher’s grandson, Gary, dressed like his grandfather
in the old commercial and standing in front of a red and white striped van with popcorn coming
out of the top. Gary will say, “My grandfather dedicated his life to producing the perfect popcorn
and that is what Orville Redenbacher is still dedicated to today. To continue on this tradition of
over 40 years of excellency we need your help! With tweeting your vote using #popthevote or
visiting our website you have the power to decide the next three flavors of Orville Redenbacher’s
microwaveable popcorn. There are 10 possible options, but only 3 will make it to the shelf. Will
it be: dill pickle, blazing tabasco, maple syrup and bacon, ranch, birthday cake, chocolate truffle,
fluffer nutter, coffee, or sweet and sour. (while he says each flavor a picture of what the box
would look like pops up into a square on the screen, with the ending screen having all 10 boxes
on it at once). The decision is for you to decide. Look out for an Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn
van coming to a city near you so you can try the possible 10 flavors. (while he is saying this
show a map of the U.S. with stars on the cities the van will appear). On November 1 the 3 new
flavors will be announced, so don’t forget to pop the vote (have clip show Gary while he says
this last line and have #popthevote show up below him in the shot). During the whole
commercial have #popthevote in the corner of the screen.
The second commercials focus is to let the public know the Pop the Vote campaign’s
success so far, and that there is still time for them to participate. This commercial will begin
playing halfway through the campaign, after the first commercial stops airing. This commercial
will begin with five short clips of interviews conducted with different people trying one of the 10
possible flavors. These clips will vary from consumers stating their favorite flavor they tried,
their reactions while tasting a flavor, and their reactions to the overall campaign. The clips
selected will depend on the footage captured from the stops made by the Orville Redenbacher’s
popcorn van so far in the campaign. Intermixed between the interviews will be video footage of
people tasting the different popcorn and all of the people at the popcorn van stops. The
commercial will end with a compilation of clips of people at the popcorn vans saying “Don’t
forget to Pop the Vote.” The screen will then turn to a red screen with white letters stating
#popthevote and a voice over will come on and say “Voting ends October 15, so don’t forget to
tweet your vote or go online to cast your vote for the new Orville Redenbacher’s microwaveable
popcorn flavor.”
Appendix E
The home screen during the campaign will show pictures of all 10 possible flavors. Each
picture can be clicked on, taking the consumer to a new screen that gives a longer description of
the flavor. The home screen will also state the rules of the campaign, “You have the power to
decide what 3 new Orville Redenbacher’s microwaveable popcorn will hit the shelves. Cast your
vote by tweeting with #popthevote or online by October 15.”
At the top of the home screen page there will be a link that says “Cast Your Vote” where
consumers can vote. The page will have a picture of each of the 10 possible flavors, and when
they click on a box, a check mark appears in the corner. To complete their vote, consumers click
“Submit Your Vote” on the bottom of the screen.
The top of the home screen page will also have a link that says “Popcorn Van Schedule”
which will take the consumer to a page where the four regions of the United States are listed,
East, South, Midwest, and West along with a map of the United States with the states highlighted
that belong in each region underneath. Consumers can then click on one of the regions which
will take them to a page with all of the dates, times, and locations the popcorn van will be for
that region during the campaign.
The top of the home screen page during the campaign will also have a link that says
“Promotions” where consumers can visit to view the campaign commercials and also see the
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter feed of Orville Redenbacher's. Each of these feeds can be
selected, taking the consumer directly to the social media site, allowing the consumer to start to
like or follow the page.
Finally, the Orville Redenbacher’s website will be used at the conclusion of the Pop the
Vote Campaign. After the winners of the campaign are announced the website home screen will
display the words “Pop the Vote Winners” at the top along with a picture of the three boxes
below. At the bottom of this screen will be a list of all the stores the new flavors can be
purchased at along with a bottom stating “Order Now” which allows consumers to order popcorn
directly from the website to be sent to their home.
Appendix F
Facebook:

announce campaign

share commercials

post campaign deadline countdown

post reminders of how to vote

post truck dates and location

share any Instagram photos

share any YouTube videos

announce winning flavors
Twitter:

announce campaign

tweet commercial links

tweet campaign deadline countdown

tweet reminders of how to vote

tweet truck dates and location

tweet any Instagram photos

tweet any YouTube videos

retweet consumer votes

retweet tweets of consumers with #popthevote

announce winning flavors
Instagram:

post pictures of popcorn flavors and box designs

post pictures of consumers at popcorn trucks

post pictures of Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn truck workers at work

post pictures of manufacturers preparing to produce new flavors
YouTube:

post campaign commercials

post videos of consumers reactions to the popcorn truck, the different flavors, and stating
their favorite flavor
References
American Popcorn Company (n.d.) Jolly Time. Retrieved from https://www.jollytime.com
ConAgra Foods Inc. (n.d.). ACT II. Retrieved from http://www.actii.com
ConAgra Foods Inc. (n.d.). ConAgra Foods, food you love. Retrieved from
http://www.conagrafoods.com
ConAgra Foods Inc. (n.d.) Orville Redenbacher’s. Retrieved from http://www.orville.com
ConAgra Foods, Inc. 2013 annual report. (n.d.) Retrieved from
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Diamond Foods Inc. (n.d.). Pop Secret. Retrieved from http://www.popsecret.com
Environmental Science (n.d.). Popcorn: Orville Redenbacher’s. Retrieved from
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Kruchkin, A. (2013). IBISWorld Industry Report OD4281. Popcorn Production in the U.S.
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