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Green cuisine backs Team GB

NEW BIRDS EYE £2.7M CAMPAIGN SEES PLANT-POWERED GREEN CUISINE RANGE PARTNER WITH OLYMPIC TEAM GB

Birds Eye has launched a new heavyweight marketing campaign focusing on the link between its plant-powered Green Cuisine range and Team GB. Aired for the first time on Monday, the ad celebrates Green Cuisine becoming the official plant-based supporter of Team GB ahead of the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The ad features prominent Team GB athletes and ambassadors including five-time Olympic medallist Max Whitlock (artistic gymnastics), Cheavon Clarke (heavyweight boxer) who is a two-time European Championship medallist and ranked number five in the world and Laviai Nielsen (400m sprinter) who became double British champion at the 2020 British Athletics Championships.

With a direct nod to the event’s host, a bold and eye-catching Japanese manga look and feel will be included across all touchpoints. The campaign will feature a wide selection of Green Cuisine products with the ad focusing on meat-free burgers.

Sarah Koppens, Birds Eye UK & I Marketing Director, said: “Our Team GB ambassadors share our ambition to inspire more shoppers to consider making meat-free part of their everyday meals, helping to power them through their daily lives and sporting activities. As the fastest growing frozen meat-free brand [Nielsen, Mar 2021], the recipe for our success has been the combination of launching original and exciting products with the support of heavyweight marketing campaigns.”

To bring the campaign to life further, Birds Eye will be giving consumers the chance to win hundreds of themed prizes as part of an on-pack promotion, featured on their special edition Team GB Green Cuisine packs. Prizes on offer will include a once-in-a-lifetime lunch with a Team GB athlete, highly-prized Team GB merchandise signed by athletes, exercise class vouchers, product vouchers and more.

Birds Eye adds magic to mealtimes

BIRDS EYE UNVEILED A £5.5M CAMPAIGN ON MONDAY FOR ITS CHICKEN RANGE

Birds Eye launched a new TV marketing campaign on Monday to celebrate its chicken range. The activity will highlight the quality and versatility of the Birds Eye products.

After an outstanding performance (+37%) over the last few years [Nielsen, May 2021], the ad will introduce a new character, The Chicken Witch of the West, seen helping transform every meal into something delicious using Birds Eye products. The ad will be amplified through social and digital assets.

The campaign will focus two parts of the range – Chicken Grills, which currently holds 56.7% of the sector, and Chicken Dippers, the fifth biggest SKU within savoury frozen [Nielsen, May 2021].

Sarah Koppens, Marketing Director at Birds Eye, comments: “We saw so many buying into the frozen chicken category during the pandemic and using Birds Eye chicken products in different ways across lunch time and in creating higher quality at-home dining experiences. As a family brand, we wanted to showcase how versatile our chicken products are for children and adults alike.”

What You Need To Know

* £5.6m campaign supporting chicken range

* Focus on taste and versatility to drive consumption

* Launched on Monday with subsequent bursts through to December Chicken Grills will be the first focus, later switching to Chicken Dippers Birds Eye Chicken Grills (2 pack, RSP: £1.75)

* Birds Eye Chicken Dippers (38 pack, RSP: £4)

Rockstar Original No Sugar PMP unveiled

THIS SUMMER, ROCKSTAR IS EXPANDING ITS LINE-UP WITH THE LAUNCH OF ROCKSTAR ORIGINAL NO SUGAR FOR THE CONVENIENCE CHANNEL

This summer, Rockstar is expanding its line-up with the launch of Rockstar Original No Sugar for the convenience channel

In the latest move since Britvic took over Rockstar in the UK, the energy brand is expanding its line-up with the launch of Rockstar Original No Sugar for the convenience channel. The product offers the flavour, functional benefits and Vitamin C content of Rockstar Original but free of sugar.

Stimulants are the number one growth segment in convenience [IRI, Mar 2021] and low calorie variants have been growing ahead of sugar versions, especially in the stimulants segment [Nielsen, Jan 2021]. With 27% of people actively reducing their sugar intake [IGD, Jan 2021], no sugar is a key area of growth for the stimulants category.

Rockstar Original No Sugar is available in a £1.19 price-marked 500ml format, helping independent retailers drive impulse sales as more people return to on-the-go activities as restrictions continue to ease. A plain (non-PMP) and 4-pack will roll out in October.

Phil Sanders, Out-of-Home Commercial Director

What you need to know

* Same flavour, functional benefits and Vitamin C content of Rockstar Original but without sugar

* £1.19 PMP 500ml can launches this summer

* Plain pack and 4-pack launches in October

* Supported by the brand’s new international platform ‘Life is your stage’ – which includes digital campaign, instore, out-of-home, and digital POS.

Phil Sanders, Out-of-Home Commercial Director at Britvic, comments: “When purchasing energy drinks, taste and functional benefits are the key criteria consumers consider when making their selection. Rockstar Original No Sugar ticks both these boxes, offering the same much-loved flavour and added benefits of Rockstar Original, without the sugar.

“Value for money is also a key priority for shoppers in the current climate. The PMP format was developed with the convenience channel in mind, to support independent retailers in clearly demonstrating every day value to their customers, helping to encourage purchase.”

The launch will benefit from the brand’s new international platform ‘Life is your stage’ – which includes a digital campaign, in-store, out-of-home, and digital POS.

Sprite's global campaign says 'Let's Be Clear’

COCO-COLA EUROPEAN PARTNERS TARGETS GENERATION Z ITS FIRST-EVER GLOBAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN FOR ITS SPRITE BRAND

Sprite, manufactured and supplied by CocaCola Europacific Partners in GB, has launched ‘Let’s Be Clear’, a new, multi-million-pound global marketing campaign for the brand.

Airing now, ‘Let’s Be Clear’ is grounded in consumer research and is designed to appeal to Gen Z – a generation of digital enthusiasts who are passionate about the world around them – encouraging them to take time to reset and refresh with a burst of refreshment from Sprite.

The TV ad depicts young adults arriving home after an all-consuming day, looking to reset, relax and enjoy some much-needed chill-out time. The campaign will feature digital and snackable social media content, alongside out-of-home and print executions.

Soft drinks consumption in the home has increased significantly over the last year, which has helped to drive £65.6m worth of additional sales of flavoured carbonates in GB.

Louise Maugest, Marketing Director at CocaCola GB, said: “As a brand, Sprite stands for individuality, self-expression and progress, and believes that honesty and genuine self-expression are truly refreshing.

“We know that these principles matter to our target audience of young adults – arguably the most informed generation ever, to whom gaining clarity is vital.

“That’s why we’re confident that this campaign will tap into their mindset, increasing the appeal of the brand and helping drive sales for our customers this summer and beyond.”

The ad features the Sprite 500ml clear plastic bottle – which will be made from 100% recycled plastic content in quarter four of this year.

Maugest concluded: “We moved Sprite from green plastic to clear plastic bottles in 2019, making them easier to recycle – a key factor in shoppers’ buying decisions, especially young adults.”

Double up

Ferrero UK has launched a new hazelnut and milk chocolate biscuit bar, Duplo. At 100 kcals each and individually wrapped, Duplo is available in single, double, 5- and 10-packs, supported by a multi-media campaign spanning print and digital. RSP: 30p to £3

Balls out

Princes has launched Princes Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce and Princes Chicken Meatballs in Gravy. Both are available now. At the peak of the pandemic, 3.7 million new shoppers bought into total Canned Ready Meals. RSP: 69p

Ding Dong

Mars Wrigley’s Extra Chewing Gum has launched the latest instalment of its ‘Get Your Ding Back’ campaign: a video game to help people re-enter society. The web-based experience lets players simulate scenarios they are likely to encounter as they return to the post-lockdown world.

Summer spirit

Schweppes has launched a multi-million-pound campaign which celebrates the Great British public’s resilience and determination to enjoy the summer. The campaign launches with the return of two 10-second TV ads as well as eye-catching murals and bright and bold digital creatives.

Up your fluff

Veetee Rice is partnering with comedian Katherine Ryan to promote its new range of rice trays, with a digital and social marketing campaign focused on kitchen hacks – Up Your Fluff Game. Veetee’s rice trays am to help Brits make perfectly fluffy rice every time, quickly and easily.

Community club

Skepta and rum brand Havana Club and are back with another creative collaboration that sees the UK grime and hip hop artist design his second limited-edition Havana Club 7 bottle, exclusively in convenience, “serving local communities first”. RSP $24.99