Life Quality Meets Tunaff

Bumble Bee Foods’ approach to consumers includes exercise, nutrition and healthy tips on Beewell Miles website

Launched on May 2008, Beewellmiles.com is the new strategy of Bumble Bee Foods to relate their products to a better and healthier lifestyle. Founded in 1899, the American’s largest preserved seafood supplier created an online space where “wellness” and “wise choices” are a lot more mentioned than tuna. The content is directed to a very well drawn group of consumers: active women. Consequently, it displays information in a very practical way with a focus in running as an exercise.

Bumble Bee’s partnership with the traditional Health Magazine has assured the BeeWell Miles information source. Divided in three sections – “Easy Moves”, “Wise Choices” and “Little Lifts” – the website provides from running plans to motivational support, passing by diet tips in between. In nutrition, tuna finally makes a discreet appearance. All the recipes found on the archives have tuna as their main ingredient.

However, it would be naïve to think that Bumble Bee is simply telling women to consume their product. BeeWell Miles is making a clear statement over the company’s priorities and objectives, and more important than that, is relating their name to social responsibility for the most important group of opinion formers in the food market: socially responsible women.

BeeWell Miles offers women the opportunity to stay fit while helping the Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization with the “Log your miles” program. The more they run, the bigger the company’s donation to the institute gets. In addition to that, Bumble Bee has put on the market pink tuna cans to support Y-ME cause, which may not increase the tuna consumption in general, but will make the decision for those who decide to buy tuna, a lot easier. Plus, given that grocery shopping is well known to be made mostly by women, it’s not hard to conclude that Bumble Bee’s marketing actions as successful ones.

In a statement made on behalf of the company, Bumble Bee’s public relations agency declared: “We wanted the program to give everyone the change to make a difference for themselves and for a cause that affects so many of us, both directly and indirectly. The primary target market for tuna in the United States is women between the age of 25-54 who are the main shopper for the household. They care about the health and wellness of their family and want to provide the foods that help them serve nutritious meals”.

Although most of the activities on BeeWell Miles are still limited to United States territory, the concept can be applied in many other countries and the information accessed by all on www.beewellmiles.com. This example shows how inclusiveness can be a powerful and socially responsible marketing strategy – Instigate society in taking actions and participate on the world’s changes, including food consumption, and not only expect them to be mere spectators of this process.

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