IPSU Imperial Sugar Company (MM)

Imperial Sugar Rolls Out Hispanic Marketing Program Across Texas and The Southeast Customized Radio Promotions, Bilingual Recipes on Packaging Signal New Business Focus SUGAR LAND, Texas, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Imperial Sugar Company , one of the largest processors and marketers of refined sugar in the United States, announced today that it has rolled out a new marketing campaign targeting the growing Hispanic market for its Dixie(R) Crystals and Imperial(R) Sugar product lines. The campaign involves new package designs for several of its products, as well as the addition of recipes in English and Spanish for a variety of traditional dishes such as cookies, pies and cakes on the back and side panels of product packages. Another key component of the campaign involves local radio personalities sharing personal cooking experiences with the products on air, and "favorite recipe" contests in several major markets in Florida, Georgia and Texas. Winning recipes from contestants will be considered for inclusion on Dixie Crystals and Imperial Sugar packages. "Our campaign encourages local radio personalities to simply talk to their listeners about our products," says Art Saxby, Imperial's vice president of Marketing. "We believe this is an innovative and effective approach to reaching listeners, especially since the unscripted segments will be delivered conversationally in market-appropriate language styles." "Instead of giving me a script, Imperial asked me to talk on air about how I use Imperial Sugar and what I thought of the new packages," says Lady Di with San Antonio radio station KXTN. "This works because I can present the information in a context that I know will be meaningful to my listeners." According to Saxby, the company recognizes that Hispanics are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, and represent an important consumer group for Imperial. He also explains that since sugar is rarely advertised, the company invested in significant consumer research before embarking on its current initiative. "We expect our bilingual recipe feature to be very popular with a wide variety of customers," said Saxby. "The first phase of our program, moving onto store shelves now, starts with translating existing popular recipes from English to Spanish. The second phase will include winning recipes submitted by our consumers through their local Spanish language radio stations and judged by local radio personalities. We anticipate this new feature will attract interest from a growing audience of cooks who enjoy preparing and eating ethnic and multi-cultural dishes." "This is a new and exciting direction for Imperial Sugar," said Bob Peiser, president and CEO. "Our Hispanic customers are vital to our success and we want them to know we are working hard to address their needs. Getting our message out credibly and clearly is key." Imperial Sugar Company sells several of the best-known brands of sugar in the industry: Imperial(R) Sugar in the Southwest; Dixie(R) Crystals in the Southeast; Pioneer(R) Sugar in the Great Lakes region; Holly(R) Sugar in the West; Spreckels(R) Sugar in California, plus Wholesome(TM) Sweeteners -- the national leader in organic sweeteners. About Imperial Sugar The Imperial Sugar Company is one of the largest processors and marketers of refined sugar in the United States and a major sugar distributor to the foodservice market. Imperial Sugar has been recognized and trusted in the food industry for more than 150 years, as the company's history dates back to the mid-1800s. With packaging and refining facilities across the nation, the Company markets products nationally under the Imperial(R), Dixie Crystals(R), Spreckels(R), Pioneer(R), Holly(R) and Wholesome Sweeteners(TM) brands. Additional information about Imperial Sugar may be found on its Web site at http://www.imperialsugar.com/ . Meghan Wilson Pierpont Communications 713.627.2223, ext. 110 DATASOURCE: Imperial Sugar Company CONTACT: Meghan Wilson of Pierpont Communications, +1-713-627-2223, ext. 110, or , for Imperial Sugar Company Web site: http://www.imperialsugar.com/

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