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RIESTER’s work with MegaMex Foods delivers sales growth.

Our client, MegaMex Foods, is reporting a substantial increase in sales today. RIESTER’s work with MegaMex Foods utilized our full Brand Activism process and delivered results accordingly. The first phase of this process is Brand Assessment. RIESTER utilized the client’s market research, enhanced it, and assisted them in defining strategies for each of their brands. We then developed creative campaigns based on the foundation established by RIESTER’s rigorous strategic processes.

Brand Activism delivers! Below is a sample of our work for the Herdez® brand and information from Hormel Foods with additional details on the MegaMex Foods marketing success:

From today’s release:
Hormel Foods Celebrates Growth of MegaMex Foods at its Annual Shareholder Meeting

During its annual shareholder meeting in Austin, Minn., on Jan. 31, 2012, Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), a multinational marketer of consumer-branded food and meat products, celebrated the growth of MegaMex Foods, its 50/50 joint venture with Herdez del Fuerte. Since its inception just two years ago, MegaMex Foods has increased sales by more than 150 percent.

“The focus of MegaMex Foods is to bring the spirit of Mexico to every table,” said James M. Splinter, group vice president, Grocery Products at Hormel Foods. “Great brands like Herdez®, CHI-CHI’S®, La Victoria®, Don
Miguel®, and the new additions to MegaMex Foods, Wholly Guacamole®, Wholly Salsa® and Wholly Queso®, will help us accomplish this goal. We are excited about the future because our expectation for this business is that it will continue to grow at an accelerated rate exceeding that of our core Grocery Products portfolio.”

MegaMex Foods was a key driver of success for Hormel Foods which experienced record success in fiscal year 2011. To highlight this achievement, Jeffery M. Ettinger, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer at Hormel Foods, offered remarks on the company’s recent growth.

Read the full release from Hormel Foods here.

Christina Borrego

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

herdezToday’s consumers are shaped by the fashion, art, music and food from many far away places and celebrations like Cinco de Mayo remind us of the magnitude of these influences.

Leading up to and on this day people from diverse backgrounds are united at street festivals, grocery stores, restaurants and museums. The events celebrate diversity and the Hispanic culture, while highlighting the perseverance of the human spirit: in this case, commemorating the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

As marketers, the human spirit is something that should be at the root of all we do. After all, it is people who make or break brands. RIESTER is privileged to mark Cinco de Mayo with a ‘real people’ campaign that captures the authenticity of HERDEZ, an international Mexican product line that has earned a place in the pantries of American households. Have a Feliz Cinco de Mayo and see first-hand how this new favorite is spicing up dishes every day.

RIESTER

Real people. Real recipes. Real traditions.

HERDEZ® Brand is Mexico’s most popular salsa. So it’s little wonder that many people of Mexican heritage remember it as a staple in their mother or grandmother’s kitchen. Recently, we went looking for people who are passing that tradition on – along with great, authentic recipes. Meet Rudy:

Sergio Carlos

Mexico celebrates its bicentennial!

mexican flag

Flag of Mexico. The tri-colors of the Mexican flag predate Italy's flag.

Today our neighbors to the south are celebrating a significant national milestone. September 16 or “El 16 de septiembre” is a very special day in the history of Mexico. This year is the 200th anniversary of its independence from Spain and the 100th anniversary of the Revolution.

Both dates are significant milestones in Mexico’s history, the first marking the start of a ten year effort by Mexicans to free themselves of Spanish rule and the second, another ten year struggle to break the chains of the dictatorship of President Porfirio Diaz.

Mexico has elaborate plans to celebrate this important occurrence ranging from parades to art exhibits to musical concerts in the country. Mexico is also encouraging Mexicans living outside of the country to hold celebrations of their own to not only mark this historic occurrence, but to also celebrate and promote Mexican art, music, food and culture.

In keeping with this, RIESTER worked with our client, HERDEZ® to develop a promotional campaign that promotes Mexico’s rich cultural and culinary traditions. The campaign includes the sponsoring of Telemundo’s five bicentennial shows in which it airs videos that teach Mexican food enthusiasts how to prepare authentic Mexican meals. The campaign also has a sweepstakes in which two lucky HERDEZ® Salsa enthusiasts will win an HERDEZ® Salsa catered party for themselves and twenty family and friends!

But the promotion of authentic Mexican food for this historic and festive occasion did not end there. HERDEZ® also reached out to Mexican restaurants across the U.S. by participating as a sponsor and exhibitor of the Mexican Restaurant Association’s (MERA) convention whose theme this year is, “A New Era of Mexican Cuisine—The Largest Culinary Bicentennial Celebration in the United States”.

Happy bicentennial Mexico! Let’s help our neighbors celebrate by enjoying some authentic Mexican food with HERDEZ® Salsa!

To learn more about HERDEZ® and how to prepare great tasting Mexican meals using HERDEZ Salsas, visit HERDEZTraditions.com.

Tom Ortega

RIESTER launches first La Victoria commercial in 20 years.

The La Victoria brand has been on grocery shelves for more than 90 years, but it has not been on TV in more than 20. This week, RIESTER is helping La Victoria end that advertising hiatus with a brand new commercial that targets food enthusiasts of every level.

The commercial, directed by veteran still photographer and director Dana Tynan, embraces the cooking process and the feeling cooks have when they prepare a successful meal. It also features a brand new tag line for the brand: “You. Victorious.” Derived directly from the brand name itself, the line and the commercial speak directly to the confidence cooks have when they use any of the delicious La Victoria products.

Tom Ortega

New Arizona Lottery campaign embraces the state’s growing number of Latino Lottery players.

Working closely with the Arizona Lottery Marketing Team, RIESTER has just launched a brand new Latino-focused campaign to promote The Pick, Arizona’s very own draw game. One component of this campaign is “Wednesdays,” a :30 commercial that celebrates the anticipation of playing The Pick twice a week. This cost-effective commercial was produced with a local production company and features Arizona talent.

Jim Breitinger

Young Haitian girls need your help–update on the orphanage.

Young girl at Hope. Photo predates the earthquake.

Young girl at Hope. Photo predates the earthquake.

The situation in Haiti is dire. Our friends Tim and Toby Banks are struggling to deal with the chaos around them. They need to care for two of their own children who live in Haiti with them and the twenty girls whose home is the orphanage. 

The orphanage, which is both school and home to the Banks and the twenty orphan girls who live there is unsafe and unusable. The Hope Center for Orphaned Girls exists to provide a stable home and an education to young Haitians without parents. It is not an orphanage that places children with adoptive families. The number of orphans in Haiti, over 200,000 before the earthquake, has led to a variety of types of orphanages to serve these children. Hope raises Haitian girls to live productive lives in Haiti. One of Haiti’s many problems is high illiteracy and lack of education. Hope is working to change that.

Because the situation is so bad and there is not currently a home or even a safe place for the girls at Hope, the Banks decided the best thing to do was to seek temporary asylum and bring the orphans to their home in Ohio until the building could be secured and the situation in Haiti stabilizes.

On Wednesday, U.S. Embassy personnel granted humanitarian visas and the group of 23 was about to begin their journey out of Port-au-Prince. Before they could leave, the paperwork was subsequently revoked. The visas granted were a new type of visa created by the Department of Homeland Security specifically to speed the process of migration for Haitian orphans being placed in American families. The orphans at Hope live in the custody of Americans who are temporarily expatriates–there is no intention to permanently relocate the orphans to the U.S. They fall into a grey area where no current visa clearly covers them.

For over two days, Toby, her two children and the twenty girls camped out inside the U.S. Embassy. Tim Banks is planning to stay behind to begin the rebuilding process. Last night officials at the embassy encouraged Toby to stay with her group inside the embassy. Current laws and rules do not allow her to take the children out of the country, however, because of the extraordinary circumstances Toby and Tim are hopeful that something will change.

This afternoon Toby and the children left the embassy and went back to Hope’s compound. They are still trying to find a way to leave the country for a temporary safe haven.

Regardless of what comes next Tim and Toby Banks need funds for the orphanage especially because of the extreme situation they are facing as a result of the earthquake.

The need in Haiti is huge. There are many good people and organizations working as hard and fast as they can for the millions of people affected by the earthquake. Because of our connection to the Banks we are doing what we can to help them. Please join us.

Your contribution will make a difference for twenty little girls aged 2-13 who need our help. Please send a check to:

RIESTER Foundation
802 North 3rd Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85003

Write “Haiti” in the memo line of the check.

Thank you.

See all posts regarding Haiti at http://www.riester.com/haiti/

Photos can't begin to capture the extent of the ruins.  Members of Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue scale the former Montana Hotel during rescue operations in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 14, 2010. The all volunteer service partnered with U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and multi-national relief agencies to support relief efforts in the aftermath of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake.  Photo by member of U.S. Navy.

Photos can't begin to capture the extent of the ruins. Members of Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue scale the former Montana Hotel during rescue operations in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 14, 2010. The all volunteer service partnered with U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and multi-national relief agencies to support relief efforts in the aftermath of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Photo by member of U.S. Navy.

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