Influx

Sundance is fast becoming a marketing fest; an annual contest where brands undertake desperate tactics in-order to attract celebrity attention. One of this year’s strangest attempts comes from Nestle’s Lean Cuisine,
hardly the brand you would ever associate with aspiring Hollywood.

For this year’s festival, Lean Cuisine has teamed up with noted LA fashion retailer, Fred Segal, who helped design scarves for a give away to celebrities. It should also be noted, the scarves will be available for purchase at Fred Segal stores for a cool $60.

While we at Influx are all for collaboration and partnership, this one makes absolutely no sense to us. Why Fred Segal would want to partner with a mass-market frozen food brand is unclear? As for Lean Cuisine, perhaps this is part of a unique targeting strategy for its new uber-gourmet food line? To us, it seems misguided or just a lame attempt by the brand to try and jump on the “aspirational celebrity bandwagon”.

If you struggle, you might be able to see what they are aiming for, perhaps it’s a photograph of Julia Roberts spotted at Sundance, that appears in People Magazine. In the photograph, Julia is seen wearing the latest Fred Segal/Lean Cuisine scarf. Even that appears to be something of a stretch.

Collaboration can work if there is a fit between brands, in this case, there just isn’t one, and all it appears to achieve is to make both brands a potential laughing stock.

However, on a more positive note, as a part of this program, Nestle is giving money to the Tsunami relief efforts.