New Progresso Soup Ad Campaign Stresses Benefits of Weight Management;

New Progresso Soup Ad Campaign Stresses Benefits of Weight Management; Timed for New Year's Resolutions, TV Spots Reach out to Health-Conscious Baby Boomers

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    Lifestyle Editors/Food Writers
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    MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 11, 2005--Progresso(R) Soup announced today it is reaching out to America's 76 million baby boomers with a new flight of television advertisements highlighting the weight-management benefits of soup. Airing nationwide beginning the week of Jan. 10 and running through mid February, the 30-second and 15-second ads show boomer-age women discovering that 25 varieties of Progresso Soup have just 100 calories or less per serving.
    "Our research shows that baby boomers are concerned about their health," said Bibie Wu, marketing manager, Progresso Soup. "For women between the ages of 45 and 60, maintaining a healthy weight can be difficult. Small changes like enjoying soup as part of a reduced calorie diet can help you lose weight while feeling satisfied."
    The new ads promote Progresso Soup as an option for consumers looking for good-tasting, ready-to-serve foods that fit with their weight management goals. Progresso Soup varieties such as Chicken Noodle, Chicken & Wild Rice, and Vegetable each contain 100 calories or fewer per serving, so many of the brand's soups can help boomers balance the desire for great taste with the need to watch calorie intake.
    "For decades, baby boomers have spurred unprecedented changes and shifts in the American economy and consumer buying habits," Wu said. "Now, as the country's most influential generation enters a new stage of life in which choices about food and lifestyle are increasingly important, the market needs to offer options for maintaining a healthy balance."
    The new Progresso Soup ad campaign shows active baby boomer women shopping, working in the office and working out. In each light-hearted vignette, the women extol the virtues of eating Progresso Soup to manage calories.
    The campaign is an extension of previous Progresso ads showing boomers enjoying personal interests and hobbies now that they're empty nesters. "Our research shows that baby boomers are enjoying their new-found freedom," said Wu. "We've emphasized that sense of fun and discovery in our previous ads, as well as in our new weight management campaign."
    Developed by the Saatchi & Saatchi advertising agency, the Progresso campaign is timed to run in key "soup season" - January and February - traditionally a peak time for soup sales and consumption. Progresso will spend over $8 million in total marketing for the campaign. The ads will be supported by two national FSIs, sampling, and in-store signage.
    The 25 varieties of Progresso soup with 100 calories or less per serving are available nationwide. Each can contains two servings and sells for a suggested retail price is $2.29. For a full listing of Progresso Soup varieties, visit the brand's Web site at www.ProgressoSoup.com.
    Progresso is a brand of General Mills, a leading global manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods products. Included in the U.S. portfolio are some of the nation's most popular brands, including Cheerios, Wheaties and other Big G cereal brands; Colombo; Yoplait; Pop Secret; Totino's; and Progresso. The company's global brand portfolio includes Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant and Old El Paso.

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CONTACT: General Mills, Minneapolis Heidi Geller, 763-764-5836 Heidi.Geller@genmills.com or Padilla Speer Beardsley Inc. Elizabeth Hanlin, 612-455-1723 ehanlin@psbpr.com or Tracy Carlson, 612-455-1717 tcarlson@psbpr.com

KEYWORD: MINNESOTA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ADVERTISING/MARKETING SUPERMARKETS CONSUMER/HOUSEHOLD FOODS/BEVERAGES RETAIL PRODUCT PHOTO PHOTOWIRE SOURCE: General Mills PHOTO: 37052

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