Fortnight Collective Goes 'Minnesota Nice' for Fargo-Based Wellness Company Swanson

Brand storytelling and strategic advertising agency Fortnight Collective has created 'You Be Well, Now,' a brand refresh for Fargo, North Dakota-based Swanson Health. The digital and print-based work is intended to raise awareness and consideration of Swanson by celebrating its Midwestern roots and values. Fortnight won the assignment in July.

The campaign features a local lady who’s filled with pep as she goes merrily about her town talking into the camera about the benefits of Swanson while doing good deeds. There’s a 60-second execution along with a :30, a :15, and a :06.

“Wellness experts from the Midwest,” she says/asks while standing in the middle of a cornfield in the latter. 'You betcha!' In the long-form spot, she goes about town telling Swanson’s backstory and handing out supplements to local townsfolk. The ad is sweetened with stop-motion photography and perky music.

The woman is demonstrating what is known as 'Midwestern Nice,' a trope used to describe the unusually earnest outlook and friendly behaviour associated with people from the region even in the most precarious situations.

Nothing goes awry in this spot - but it appears that our plucky subject would carry on touting vitamins and delivering her home-cooked casseroles to neighbours even if she were hit by a North Dakota snow storm.

The effort is considered a complete brand refresh. “The work carves out a unique brand position in the wellness industry with this regional approach,” said Andrea Crass, chief marketing officer. “It sets Fargo, Swanson’s home, as the epicentre of health and wellness and dispels the myth that innovation in health and wellness only happens on the coasts.”

“It’s not every day you get to reinvigorate your 55 year-old brand,” said Erin Del Ponte, SVP marketing. "Our creative partners at Fortnight Collective brought a level of polish that helped us shine to truly unlock the authenticity and uniqueness of Swanson Vitamins.”

Led by an in-house team of pharmacists, scientists and nutritionists, Swanson offers over 1,600 of their own branded products across 36 categories. Swanson Health products are rigorously tested to ensure quality, purity, potency and reliability. The line harnesses ingredients and formulas at the forefront of wellness to deliver natural solutions for mind, body and home.