Widespread ad campaign released for first all-natural, zero-calorie sweetener

MINNETONKA, Minn. Cargill, an international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services, is launching an aggressive ad campaign for Truvia, the first natural, no-calorie sweetener made from the stevia leaf. Calorie-conscious consumers have been using no- and low-calorie sweeteners like Splenda and Sweet’n Low for a while now, but both of these products are artificially engineered.

Truvia will be debuting on national network and cable TV, national consumer print publications and women- and wellness-focused Web sites. Respected commercial director Mikon van Gastel, who has directed ads for Nike, IBM, Reebok, Olympus, Absolut and Target, among others, will be directing four 30-second TV spots for the new product. The ads will include close-up shots of the stevia leaf, conveying to consumers the sweetener’s purity.  

“Through research, we found that consumers are trying to live more balanced lives but have a complicated relationship with sweeteners,” said Zanna McFerson, director at Cargill Health and Nutrition. “The marketing campaign to launch Truvia tabletop sweetener is designed to inform consumers that for the first time, there is a natural great-tasting zero calorie sweetener that comes from a leaf, not a lab.”