Southern University marketing majors Danielle Clark and Shannon Ross are on a mission to bring Tabasco, one of the world’s most widely known brands of hot sauce, into the cooking pot and unto the dining room tables of more Black consumers.
“Many people think Tabasco is only used to season food but it can be used to create wonderful dishes,” Ross said.
Clark and Ross are a part of a team of six other interns from Grambling State University, Xavier University and Dillard University, whose job is to create marketing campaigns to encourage more Blacks to buy the popular Louisiana sauce.
At this year’s Black History Month College Family Reunion, Clark and Ross will be accepting recipes from students, faculty and staff that incorporates the use of Tabasco.
The recipes will be compiled by the company to form a cookbook for its consumers.
“In our campaign, we hope to reach out to the community to get their input on what Tabasco can do to make its products better.” Ross said.
Also, they will host a booth with games, free jambalaya and giveaways to promote the five flavors of Tabasco–original red, green garlic, habanero and chipotle pepper.
According to David Grubb, account executive with Beurman, Miller and Fitzgerald, the marketing firm for Tabasco, the program hopes to bring the rich flavor from all communities in Louisiana into the way Tabasco is manufactured, distributed and used in food.
“There’s a misconception in the African American Community that Tabasco is too hot and they don’t like the taste,” Grubb said. “From the dorm room to the dinner table, we want to know what they like and what drives their food purchases.”
In 2002, interns from Xavier connected with the Lundy Corporation, the nation’s largest African-American fast food franchise, to use Tabasco during Pizza Hut’s Cajun Meat Lovers campaign. By giving customers a free mini bottle of Tabasco sauce with their order, the campaign became the restaurant chain’s most successful promotion of the year.
Tabasco has also sponsored other events including the 2002 State Farm Bayou Classic, the 2002 Red River Classic in Shreveport and the Real Men Cook campaign.
“Tabasco is using Black colleges as a jump off point to spread the word about its products to the community,” Clark said. “We are going to do our part to keep the ball rolling.”
