In the first session of the afternoon here in the Strategy track at Social Media and Communities 2.0, Heddy Parker of Kraft walked us through the Ritz "Open For Fun" campaign from inception to the present day.

In 2008 Ritz knew their consumers as carefree, snack lovers with busy social lifestyles. However, Ritz faced a marketing challenge: consumers were viewing Ritz as predictable.

Thus rose a communication goal: surprise the consumer with Ritz. Make Ritz the champion of fun.

In order to understand and connect with the consumers on a much deeper and more meaningful level, Ritz combined traditional research with social listening (via an online anthropological study) to find the "principals for fun."

First the traditional ethnographic research found that Ritz consumers have a core set of values. Have fun is a separate distinct value that leads to emotional benefits. Fun was associated with community gatherings, family togetherness, and time with friends. Next, Ritz worked with Motivequest to identify peaks and valleys, motivations and activities and come up with recommendations. Motivequest measured Talk Value, or volume of conversation to find that fun for consumers centers around hope, happiness, love, anticipation. Fun provides an opportunity to be relevant throughout the year.

In 2010, Ritz partnered with sports and media personalities, summer blockbusters and other forms of entertainment to spread the message of fun and continue to engage throughout the year.