Last week, a company called Celsius Communications ran a field marketing promotion for Danone Yogurt. They were giving away little bottles of free yogurt at the corner of Granville and Robson. As Stephanie points out in this post on Urban Vancouver (with plenty of gross photos), they apparently didn’t provide adequate garbage containers for the empty bottles.
I didn’t see this first-hand, but it certainly looks like Celsius screwed up. They’re not helping their client with piles of their product kicking around the streets of Vancouver. The people consuming the beverage are also to blame, but Celsius should have anticipated the need for more garbage cans.
There are plenty of brands of yogurt out there. Next time you’re shopping, why don’t you steer clear of Danone?
UPDATE: I emailed somebody at Celsius Communications, and I appreciated that they sent a lengthy response. Here is part of it:
As I said to Stephanie, we did provide the garbages, but as nobody was using
them, after the sampling operation, I sent my staff with garbage bags to
clean up the 4 blocks surrounding Granville and Robson.Doing field marketing asks a lot more for the environment than what you saw
for a couple of hours at the corner of Granville and Georgia, and we take
care of that.
In fact, after every sampling event that Celsius Communication host for its
clients, we sent the staff to clean up the surrounding area to get rid of
the maximum empty bottles as we can. Then, we take care of recycling what we
picked up and emptied for the sampling.
I’m not sure what to say about this. It sounds like they tried to do a decent job, but weren’t quite up to the task? This is one reason I generally disdain giveaway-oriented field marketing (not to mention lousy free daily newspapers)–inevitably it results in excess, unnecessary litter and garbage.
DarrenBarefoot.com 
Bonjour Monsieur Barefoot,
In response to your posted comment on Danone yogurt, Irresponsible marketing and Celsius communication, I would like to add to the email that you have already received from Raphaël De Lacotte, the Team Leader that is carrying out the project for Celsius. My name is François Trudel and I am the president of Celsius communication.
On behalf of our clients, we get execute many field marketing initiatives that also incorporate product sampling. As such, we understand the necessity to act responsibly and to respect the environment in which we work and in which people live.
Our field marketing teams do take the time to stress to consumers the importance of not littering with the free distributed samples and to recycle when possible. The staff also is asked to circle the neighboring area to pick up excess garbage that might have resulted from our marketing activity.
Danone is a company that prides itself in being a good corporate citizen and acts in a socially responsible fashion.
Celsius communication is a marketing agency that pays great attention to developing marketing solutions that are impactful for the clients, pleasant for the consumers and respectful of the social environment.
I wish to extend my sincere apologies for the garbage situation that transpired in Vancouver. We will continue to proceed to a more thorough area clean-up after each blitz and we will continue to urge consumers to please dispose of the empty containers in a responsible manner.
I ask you to not hold any grudges against Danone and I hope that you will continue your yogurt habits, as they are an important part of a healthy way of life. I also hope that Danone yogurts will soon find a way back into your and your readers’ refrigerators.
Best regards,
Frank Trudel
President – Celsius communication
6235 Hutchison Street, suite 201
Montréal, Qc
H2V 4C7
Tel: 514-495-7796
Damn, you’d think a guy who is a president of a communications firm could speak a bit more ‘human’. WTF is he talking about?
“Danone is a company that prides itself in being a good corporate citizen and acts in a socially responsible fashion”
Obviously not.
“Celsius communication is a marketing agency that pays great attention to developing marketing solutions that are impactful for the clients, pleasant for the consumers and respectful of the social environment.”
Again, no way.
You guys need to repay your debt with some community service.
I propose serving yogurt and breakfast to Vancouvers less fortunate on the downtown eastside every saturday for the next month. (and also hiring a crew to clean up after yourselves… duh!)
I’ll tell you why this story confused the hell out of me: in the U.S., this brand is called DANNON (yes, I’m a girl, hence the all caps).
Same logo, same product.
So was it Dannon first, french-fried for the Canadian audience, or was it the lovely, lilting “Danone”, dumbed down to Dannon for us stupid Americans?
Hmmm.
By the way, I love your blog but I totally fail to see how a bunch of people being disgusting enough to litter has anything whatsoever to do with Danone. To blame them is actually quite an amazing show of cajones. So like, if someone sells me a car and I double park it because there are no available parking meters, the car company is to blame?
In this case, if anyone is to blame besides the ill-mannered miscreants who littered, it might be the city of Vancouver for not putting adequate litter bins about the city. There should be at least one bin per block, on each side of the street.
Julia: You make a fair point, which is why I tried to use speculative language and say things like “apparently”. I don’t think I was that far off, because the company did commit to “to proceed to a more thorough area clean-up after each blitz”.
Bonjour Mrs Trudel,
j’espère que vous aller bien,j’aimerais savoir ou en est rendue notre projet concernant les chandails de hockeys Danone
Je suis revenus de vacances,alors si il y a quoique se soit vous pouveé me rejoindre a la maison 450-466-4612 ou sur mon cell 514-240-4544.
Merci de l’intêret que vous nous porté
Biens a vous Martin Couture