How We Rebuilt Bertolli's Brand Reputation

Bertolli’s share price hit the floor after a series of news articles called into question the quality of their olive oil. The story had one fundamental problem - it wasn’t true, and we were tasked with turning the tide of negative press.

Key Objectives

01

Repair brand reputation, build positive sentiment and re-establish Bertolli’s status as America’s most loved olive oil.

02

Hyper-target areas of the US that represented Bertolli’s consumer hotspots - namely, the mid-west.

03

Create an always-on stream of licensable content to be repurposed in Bertolli’s wider crisis management efforts.
Repairing consumer trust is no easy task. It required a strategic approach that placed a premium on the quality & relevance of the influencers selected. 

With this in mind, we targeted several streams of creators that had one thing in common - quality was their number one motivating factor when purchasing olive oil. This ensured advocacy came from a place of authenticity & credibility.

Key Objectives

Reputation would not be repaired overnight - an always-on approach was required to reverse misconceptions. This informed our 365-day strategy - each day, an influencer would educate consumers on why Bertolli’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil was the premier option.

Qualitative Result

The Parent

We targeted parents with young children. The aim? Tap into the innate desire of parents to nourish their children with the highest-quality produce available. Their advocacy had the potential to spread amongst tight-knit communities of parents.
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The Nutritionist

Bertolli would not rebuild their credibility with hollow advocacy. They required a level of expertise and authority when it came to educating consumers on the quality of their olive oil. In this respect, qualified nutritionists represented a trusted source of information.
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The Fitness Fanatic

For fitness fanatics, supporting an exercise regime with good eating habits is a non-negotiable. We used fitness-fanatics to target the athletic community with all the information they crave - Bertolli's olive oil delivered on everything from health fats to antioxidants.
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The Chef

The quality of the meal is decided by the quality of the ingredients. We identified high-flying chefs seeking to find the best quality olive oil that could help elevate their dishes. Bertolli topped the charts.
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Campaign Results

365 days of influence helped turn the tide of the negative brand sentiment.
365
1039
15.6m
12.3m
Creators Activated
Content Shared
Total Impressions
Total Reach
Total Engagements
Engagement Rate
Sales Uplift
2.8m
7.5%
36%

Campaign Sentiment

We took Bertolli's positive brand sentiment across social media from 24% to 92%. That is a 64% increase - all in the space of a year.
Industry Standard
vs
Buttermilk Achieved
Brand Fan Eng Rate
4%
14%
Micro Eng Rate
3%
7%
Macro Eng Rate
2%
5%
Likes Per Post
2000
9544
Comments Per Post
35
86

Increase In Share Price

Annual Sales Uplift

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