Advertising Age

November 17, 2008
Circulation: 56,650
Visitors per month: 627,491

Advertising Age Honors the Top Brands of the Year -- and the Brains Behind Them
Sabra: A Marketing 50 Case Study

Chances are when shopping for hummus at your local grocer, you know those red lids belong to the Sabra family of Mediterranean spreads. In the process, you're one of more than 80 million
consumer impressions the brand has made in 2008.


Rodrigo Troni, chief marketing officer of Sabra Dipping Co., credits much of the brand's rise -
- a 73% growth spurt in 2007, topping off at close to $70 million in sales -- to strong wordof-
mouth and a consumer pride in discovering new food trends.

"Consumers love being in the know and trying new things," says Mr. Troni, 42. "It's all about allowing the consumer to enjoy this behavior of discovery."

The brand loyalty shows. Sabra claims it holds 33% of a nearly $400 million refrigerated-spreads segment that Mr. Troni says is the fastest growing area of the $2 billion refrigerated-dips-and-spreads market.

With a new PepsiCo partnership, Strauss Group plans to grow Sabra's market penetration. "PepsiCo is very good at delivering consumer insights," Mr. Troni says. "They will help Sabra sharpen its segmentation.

We'll be able to articulate ... benefits much better than before."