Barilla Pasta sauce Exists
Big Idea
The big idea for our campaign was to solve one of the biggest issues we identified in our research: the majority of customers recognize Barilla and their pasta products, but few customers even realize the brand sells sauce products as well. We came up with “Barilla Pasta Sauce Exists” with the tagline “your perfect match exists.” Our campaign will leverage the existing brand equity in Barilla pasta to bring the pasta sauce directly to the attention of the consumer and pair the pasta and sauce as the perfect match.
The Brief
Print ad #1
This print ad emphasizes the idea that Barilla pasta sauce not only exists but also offers the perfect match for any pasta night. By featuring multiple sauces from Barilla’s sauce lineup, the ad highlights the variety of different options available, introducing options that many in our target audience may not recognize. The visual lineup reinforces product awareness and encourages consumers to explore Barilla sauces as a reliable and flavorful addition to their meals.
Print ad #2
This print magazine ad uses clever visual imagery and playful copy to capture our audience's attention through humor. It features Barilla pasta sauce dressed as a bride marrying a box of bowtie pasta, paired with the copy, “a perfect match is pasta-ible” a pun on “possible.” This execution highlights a key insight derived from our research: while consumers are widely familiar with Barilla pasta, many are unaware that Barilla also makes sauce products. By presenting the two as a perfect pairing, the ad suggests that the pasta shoppers already buy has an ideal Barilla sauce match waiting for them.
Print ad #3
This ad is designed to blend naturally into the magazine content around it by presenting a real recipe from Barilla’s catalog that features their products. The copy reinforces our big idea: Barilla sauce exists and offers the “perfect pairing,” one that consumers may not have realized was available. By showcasing a simple, delicious meal made with Barilla sauce, the ad provides a practical demonstration of how easy it is for busy families to make dinner with Barilla’s help.
TV AD
Our television ad uses a humorous tone to portray a pasta noodle struggling to find its “perfect match.” The ad advances our big idea, showcasing Barilla as the superior and perfect match for both you and your pasta. This will resonate with our target audience, who are familiar with the often disappointing culture surrounding dating apps.
This Facebook ad helps bring our “perfect matches” directly to the consumer's device. Since our target audience favors Facebook over all other social media platforms, it’s the best place to reach them. This ad pairs Barilla's well-known pasta shapes with our sauce lineup, while keeping the spotlight on the sauces. The design will direct customers who already have a favorite pasta shape to discover the perfect Barilla sauce to match with it, motivating them to try a pairing they may not have known existed.
match.com
Match.com is an ideal platform for us to reach our target audience, whose user base consists primarily of people aged 30-49, many of whom are likely parents. The ad mimics a real profile on Match; however, the profile belongs to a Barilla sauce. It appears in the app in the same way a normal profile would, allowing users to scroll through and interact with the profile naturally. When someone chooses to “match” with the sauce, they'll receive a funny flirtatious message from the account, along with a list of nearby stores that carry our product and a coupon for a discount on the sauce of their choice. This approach makes product discovery personal, memorable, and fun.
Out of Home #1
This out-of-home placement appears at the bottom of shopping baskets at grocery stores that carry Barilla sauce. The placement puts the ad directly in the shopper's line of sight throughout their trip; every time they look down at the basket, they’re met with our product and message, reinforcing brand presence at key decision-making moments. While the Barilla Farfalle pasta is clearly visible, the sauce label is intentionally left blank because your perfect match is personal. It’s your sauce, your choice, your match.
Out of Home #2
Our out-of-home digital interactive billboard will be placed within grocery stores, engaging customers directly in the environment where their purchase decisions are made. Customers can swipe through different Barilla pastas and sauces to discover their own “perfect match” based on their own personal preferences. Once a match is selected, the screen will greet them with a message confirming that their match exists and guide them to the exact aisle or section where the products can be found and purchased. This interactive experience not only drives awareness but also seamlessly leads customers to in-store purchase.
guerilla marketing
Our Guerrilla marketing tactic will utilize fake parking tickets designed to surprise and delight our audience. These “positive citations” acknowledge the everyday burdens parents, especially single parents, carry with messages like “working too hard without any help” or “supporting everyone around you.” Tickets will be placed in locations where our audience is most likely to be found, such as parks, grocery stores, schools, and youth sporting events. The design intentionally mimics an authentic parking ticket, creating an initial panic that quickly turns into relief and joy when they discover that it’s fake. The ticket will also double as a coupon to receive free or discounted Barilla products. This is a low-cost and creative strategy that effectively captures attention, sparks emotion, and delivers on key goals of guerrilla marketing.
A lot went into making this campaign possible, check out all the research, concepting, and even some deliverables that weren’t mentioned above!