Grey Poupon Mustard Ups the Ante on Its Highbrow Image In the 1980s, a sign of sophistication was to use Grey Poupon mustard, just like the rich guys in their Rolls-Royces in the brand's memorable commercial of that era. The premium condiment brand - returning after a long quiet period - is again focusing its marketing on good taste, but this time consumers have to qualify for it. Starting Wednesday, in a new advertising campaign on Facebook, would-be fans can have their profiles checked to see whether their proper use of grammar, taste in art, restaurant check-ins, books read and movies selected combine for a score high enough to merit membership in the Grey Poupon "Society of Good Taste." "We want to differentiate the brand and reinforce that when it comes to Dijon mustard that Grey Poupon is the leader in "taste," " said Sara Braun, director of shopper marketing at Kraft Foods, which owns the brand. Most brands are eager to accumulate fan "likes" on Facebook, but Ms. Braun said the product was willing to turn away potential customers whose tastes, specified in their online preferences, did not meet its standards. Grey Poupon may have grounds to be picky. Sales of all condiments are growing, especially mustard sales, which rose 11 percent from 2007 to 2012, to $508 million, according to the "U.S. Condiments" study released by Mintel Group last month. But the market is also saturated, according to the study, with 86 percent of the public already using mustard. Ninety-one percent of consumers use ketchup and 84 percent use mayonnaise. Most condiments are used to enhance the flavor of sandwiches, but they are ingredients in recipes as well. The growth potential, according to the Mintel study, lies in adding more flavors. In the last decade, Kraft's marketing has been focused on promoting new varieties of Grey Poupon, a mustard that originated in France and is made with white wine. In addition to Dijon, Grey Poupon also offers Country Dijon, Harvest Coarse Ground, Hearty Spicy Brown, Savory Honey, Deli and Mild & Creamy. French's mustard, owned by Reckitt Benckiser, had more than one-third of mustard sales this year, according to figures from Mintel. This year, French's introduced a Dijon mustard made with chardonnay wine, as well as a honey mustard dipping sauce. At 12.6 percent, Grey Poupon claims the second-largest mustard sales nationwide. But, like all mustards, it faces a lower percentage of users among 18- to 34-year-olds, a category of customers attuned to digital marketing. Not many of them are likely to recall the 1981 Grey Poupon commercial that linked the brand to discerning palates. The spot shows a wealthy man being chauffeured as he eats his dinner, on a tray, in the back seat of the Rolls-Royce. Opening the glove compartment, a livery driver passes a jar of Grey Poupon back to him. As he is spreading it on his food, another Rolls-Royce stops, and its passenger rolls down his window and asks, "Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?" "But, of course," says the original passenger, in a French accent, as he hands the jar over. Like its predecessor, which has been copied and parodied in movies, Grey Poupon's current effort stresses its premium image. The typical Grey Poupon customer is between the ages of 25 and 54, and has an average household income of $80,000, Ms. Braun said. In a nod to the mustard's 18th-century origins, the signage and the visuals are reminiscent of that era, in the advertising created by Crispin Porter and Bogusky, of Boulder, Colo. After going to the Grey Poupon Facebook page, users can agree to have their Facebook profile scoured to see if their selections measure up to the brand's parameters. For example, if a Facebook user's profile lists suitable choices for "newsworthy happenings," "their place of residence," "social standing" (i.e., how many Facebook friends they have) and "curiosities and tastes," he or she can score in the top 20th percentile, which allows membership in the Society of Good Taste. Grey Poupon's Facebook page has about 20,000 fans, and Ms. Braun said Kraft expected to expand that number with its campaign. Those who are accepted in the society will have a chance to win a cookbook like Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" or a Grey Poupon shopping bag because, she said, "people who uphold high standards should be rewarded." Grey Poupon is also overhauling its Web site by rebuilding it on Pinterest, which would enable customers to see its visuals and make it easier to pin and share visuals and other content. The brand does not disclose its spending on marketing, but Kantar Media, a unit of WPP, said that brand spent only $36,000 last year compared with $342,000 in 2010. Kraft did not address why the figure was much higher two years ago. Grey Poupon's decision to rekindle its brand presence by fielding a challenge is an effort to inject a "bit of fun," said Tom Markham, Crispin Porter and Bogusky's creative director. We've loaded up with grammar rules and combined databases and lists so we can measure people's choices. But mind those dropped apostrophes, he warned. And beware the lowbrow choices. "Our tag line, after all," Ms. Braun said, "is "Spread Good Taste." "