Bob Evans Farms Taps Colle McVoy for Media Agency of Record Duties

"Colle McVoy prioritised creativity over spreadsheets in their pitch, which is a refreshing approach to today’s standard media strategies," said Ciare James, chief marketing officer, Bob Evans Farms. "Their team was energetic about our brand and pushed us to explore new ways to engage with a younger generation. This is the kind of partnership we need as we refine our consumer strategy."

Colle McVoy’s appointment is the result of a competitive pitch that kicked off in July. The pitch process was led by internal marketing procurement. The Media Agency of Record appointment will cover the Bob Evans Farms portfolio of its namesake brand, Bob Evans®—as well as Simply Potatoes®, Owens® Sausage and Egg Beaters®.

Bob Evans Farms joins a growing CPG roster for Colle McVoy that includes Frank’s RedHot, Crystal Farms, Perdue, McCormick & Company, SWASH detergent, 3M consumer products and others. Colle McVoy reports managing around $450 million in media spend across its clients.

An early priority for the agency is driving household penetration for dinner sides while refining overall integrated media strategies for core tentpole moments that matter to consumers—like the holidays.

“From the jump, it was clear Bob Evans Farms isn’t racing to the bottom of the funnel like so many marketers today,” explained Colle McVoy managing director of media and data science, Steve Knapp. “Their brief gave us a clear expectation for what they were looking for, but it came with space to experiment on ways in and unique partnerships to complement their new ‘Bring Out The Bob’ platform to build the Bob Evans brand.”

Steve noted a balanced appreciation between data and media creativity from Colle McVoy that can be rare. 

“Colle McVoy had a grounded understanding for where Bob Evans Farms is today and where we want to go, charting an incremental path for us with the full-funneled thinking we need to modernize,” added Ciare. “There’s something about the agency’s mid-size model that brings a depth of expertise far beyond what you’d expect with an upstart mentality for brave ideas that larger media entities shy away from.”

According to Ciare, she’s eager to rewrite the playbook for proactive engagement strategies that integrate creative and media to introduce the Bob Evans brand to new households.