Agency Work

New Friendship Dairies Campaign Is Smoother Than a Shirtless Pool Boy

The “Smooth Off Challenge” campaign captures the comedy and chemistry that happens when girlfriends get together and get riffing
May 20, 2019

How smooth is Friendship Dairies cottage cheese? Smoother than the first leg shave of spring. Smoother than a hipster bartender with a man bun. Smoother than a late-night DJ in satin on a slip’n’slide.

Got your attention? Really, cottage cheese is kind of prudish. A goody two-shoes food. And most cottage cheese brand marketing follows suit. Created by Partners + Napier, Friendship Dairies new “Smooth Off Challenge” campaign stands out from the snore-fest rest by taking a decidedly un-prudish approach, assigning a female, friends-in-real-life creative pair who are more Fey and Poehler than Rachel and Monica. More irreverent than well-behaved. More in sync than N’Sync.

“The campaign taps into the chemistry and connection that happens between women through authentic humor,” said Gretchen Bye, Creative Director at Partners + Napier. “Every woman has a sister who they get down-and-dirty with, a wing-woman who makes the mundane fun. That’s about as real as it gets. That’s the voice we wanted to bring to Friendship Dairies. And who doesn’t love a shirtless pool boy?”

Who’ll outdo the other in the online videos that are the centerpiece of this multi-channel effort breaking May 20th? Doesn’t matter. What matters is that Friendship Dairies cottage cheese speaks to consumers in a way that will resonate with them and their soul sisters, getting them connecting with the campaign content and buying the brand. To which we say, “word to the curd.”

A featured promotion, the “Smooth Off Challenge,” calls out the smoother, creamier texture of Friendship Dairies whipped cottage cheese by wooing cottage cheese lovers to “buy yours and try ours.” The whipped product is distinctive because it isn’t runny like typical cottage cheese, making it ideal for snacking.

“We’re so confident people will love the creamy-smooth texture of our whipped cottage cheese that we’re backing it up by paying them to add it to their cart,” said Ray Langton, Sr. Product Manager of Friendship Dairies. “Our message of ‘buy yours, try ours’ makes it easy for shoppers to experience the difference in texture and flavor. The campaign encourages trial at home by reimagining how you can snack with cottage cheese—spread it on your favorite toast or dip your favorite fruit with no watery runoff.”

The comedic campaign continues Partners + Napier’s strategy of avoiding cottage cheese category clichés. Over the course of the agency’s 10-year relationship with Friendship Dairies, numerous interconnected campaigns such as Share Friendship and The Power of Friendship celebrated friends connecting, demystifying a product category that has been associated with ‘70s-era bland dieting. The latest campaign mantra, Smoother Than Your Cottage Cheese, builds on this momentum, introducing the whipped product as a smoother, creamier snack to generations of cottage cheese lovers.

The campaign features online videos, print, and radio executions launching with social video channels, digital/online, a network of influencers, search and in-store display.