Picks of the Week

Aunt Bessie’s revamps roastie recipe

The brand has also invested £2.1m to advertise its new and improved roast potatoes.

Aunt Bessie’s has invested in a £2.1m extension to its pre-existing advertising campaign to feature its new and improved roast potatoes.

The revamped range comes ahead of the busy autumn and winter period, as Aunt Bessie’s aims to build upon its strong position as brand leader. At the core of the refresh is a new recipe that has allowed the brand to claim these are the ‘crispiest’ & ‘fluffiest’ Aunt Bessie’s roast potatoes yet, according to consumers involved in testing.

The new recipe will be accompanied by updated packaging, both of which roll out on core roast potato products this month.

The TV campaign, which airs from mid-October through to December, will emphasise the products’ improved taste and quality.

Andy Dale, Senior Brand Manager for Aunt Bessie’s, said: “Our new and improved roast potatoes are the fluffiest and crispiest we’ve created to date – this isn’t just our view, but the thoughts of consumers too, after testing revealed the new recipe to have significantly higher preference scores versus competing variants.

“Our new roast potato recipe will ensure Aunt Bessie’s continues to play a leading role in driving the performance of the segment over the Christmas period. As the brand leader in frozen roast potatoes, our growth is intrinsically linked to the success of the category, with 71% of our roast potato range’s growth incremental to the segment, while our roast potatoes have 94% more incremental shoppers in December compared to the average month. The combination of new recipe and continued marketing support will help to ensure we are front of mind over the festive period.”

Packs of Aunt Bessie’s Delicious Roasties that are included as part of recipe revamp are as follows: 600g (£1.55), 800g (£2.10) 1.4kg (£3) and 5kg (£5).

Alpro unveilsall-star campaign

Sports heroes team up with brand to promote the health benefits of soya.

Alpro has kicked-off a new cross-channel campaign, backed by sports heroes, to promote the health benefits of Alpro Soya drinks and catch the eye of new shoppers.

The campaign, ‘Plant-Based for Protein Lovers’, sees swimming star Adam Peaty, boxing champ Nicola Adams, top footballer Tyrone Mings, and tennis pro Heather Watson join forces as Team Plant-Based.

The sporting stars champion the little-known protein benefits of soya – described by Alpro as the “unsung hero” of plant-based food & drink – and unveil Alpro Soya as their “secret weapon” for upping their intake of plant-based protein.

The campaign is also playing out across social media, digital and in retail – with Adam Peaty and Nicola Adams featuring on Alpro Soya 1L packs. Plus, all four famous faces from ‘Team PB’ will pop up outof-home, with a takeover of Westfield Stratford and advertising in Pure Gyms.

David Jiscoot, Marketing Director for Alpro UK & Ireland, said: “This campaign is set to shoot further growth for our popular Alpro Soya range and show health and sports fans – no matter what league they’re in – how they can use the plantbased power of soya to benefit their health, and do their bit for the planet too.

“Soya has become a bit of an unsung hero in the world of plant-based in recent years, despite the fact it’s a nutritional knockout that’s full of plant protein – and a true plant-based alternative to dairy that can deliver on nutrition, with stand-out eco credentials too.”

He added: “There is still a massive untapped opportunity with soya – particularly by driving penetration with new shoppers, whilst also keeping long-standing fans on side – and that’s exactly what this campaign is designed to unlock.”

The campaign runs to the end of October.

McIntosh takes theping with new TV ad

The ‘When Life Takes the Ping’ campaign launches with an advert, with more to follow later this year and next.

McIntosh of Strathmore, Scotland’s leading ready meal brand, has unveiled a new campaign.

‘When Life Takes the Ping’ launches with an advert featuring a Scottish dad whose happy afternoon car washing is ruined by a mud-splattered football flying in from the neighbour’s garden. In the end, the microwave ‘ping’ of his McIntosh meal soothes his nerves, and he gets his revenge on the troublesome ball.

The company is marking the campaign with a competition, which encourages Scots to discuss their own ‘McIntosh Moments’ – when rubbish things happen on an otherwise good day – to win a hamper of McIntosh meals and £250 of supermarket vouchers. The winning stories of domestic disaster and family funnies will be brought to life as ‘When Life Takes the Ping’ storyboards and shared on social media.

Julie Nisbet, Managing Director of family-run McIntosh, said: “At McIntosh we’re all about giving people a delicious, high-quality meal that adds no extra stress to their day. Let’s face it, life is busy and challenging enough, and there are some days when good plans just don’t turn out the way you want them to. That’s where we come in, with easy, delicious meals that will brighten the most difficult day, and a campaign that will give people a good laugh.

“I think we can all relate to Mr Wilson and his muddy car, but there will be hundreds of stories out there that tell a similar story – of times when life goes a bit awry, whether it’s with families, kids, pets or at work. Scots are renowned for their down to earth sense of humour, and we can’t wait to hear some real life ‘McIntosh Moments’ in our new competition.”

More ‘When Life Takes the Ping’ ads will be released later this year and in 2022.

Bebeto makes its TV debut

The campaign promotes Bebeto’s new Gummies range.

Bebeto, a confectionery challenger brand from Kervan Gida UK, is appearing in homes across London and surrounding counties this autumn in its first-ever TV campaign.

The campaign – ‘Everything’s Bebetter with Bebeto’ – promotes the brand’s new Gummies range, which is made with fruit juice and no artificial colours.

The new advert started a four-week run on Sky on 10 September. The significant six-figure investment is part of a nationwide marketing campaign, including out-of-home advertising, PR, social media marketing, and consumer sampling.

The focus of the 30-second ad is the four-strong Bebetos Gummies 150g sharing bags range, with Fizzy Watermelons, Big Fizzy Mix, Strawberries and Big Mix, which launched in the popular format in April 2021. The hero flavour in the advert is Gummies Fizzy Watermelons.

Stuart Johnston, Managing Director of Kervan Gida UK, said: “We’re making a major marketing investment in our vision for the brand, which is to drive it into the worldwide sugar confectionery top five by 2023. This autumn’s UK TV debut is a central part of the plan.”

Johnston added: “In April we launched our new Gummies 150g range, made with fruit juice and no artificial colours. We took our best-selling shapes and flavours, Big Fizzy Mix, Strawberries, Fizzy Watermelons and Big Mix, and mixed, matched and repackaged them in a bigger sharing bag format, in line with the strong growth in sharing bags seen during the pandemic. And now we’re putting them up front in our first ever TV campaign, backed by out of home and social media support.”

Bebeto Gummies 150g range is available now from wholesalers.

Nestlé Confectionery unveils Christmas range

The ‘When Life Takes the Ping’ campaign launches with an advert, with more to follow later this year and next.

Nestlé Confectionery has unveiled its Christmas range for 2021.

KitKat Santa is back alongside the new KitKat Festive Friends Bag 220g (RSP £3.50), which comes filled with individually wrapped, festive shapes, and is ideal for sharing. There are 12 mini KitKat Santas and a mix of 10 other shapes – including a tree, elf, gingerbread man, snowman and reindeer – in every bag. The bag joins the 29g impulse bar (RSP 65p), a 5-bar multipack (RSP £3), and a 55g bag of individually-wrapped mini Santas (RSP £1).

In addition, Aero aims to capitalise on consumer demand for seasonal bags and blocks with its new Aero Festive Snowy White Block (RSP £1). The block features the same white and milk bubbly taste sensation, with a white centre covered in milk chocolate. The Aero Dreamy White Snowbubbles 80g bag (RSP £1) also returns for 2021.

Milkybar is also set to unveil its brand new Milkybar Festive Friends Sharing Bag (RSP £1), which contains an array of white chocolate festive shapes with a creamy white filling and crispy pieces, individually wrapped. Each bag contains seven pieces from an assortment of seasonal shapes.

New for Christmas 2021 is the After Eight Giant Tube (RSP £1.38) filled with bitesize pieces of dark chocolate filled with mint fondant. This year the pack will feature fully recyclable paper packaging.

The new Christmas Selection box (RSP £3) includes some of Nestlé’s best-selling singles: KitKat 4 Finger, KitKat Chunky, Aero Peppermint, Aero Milk, Yorkie, and Rowntree’s Fruit Pastilles.

Meanwhile, Quality Street will benefit from a £2m media spend, with advertising appearing on TV, video-on-demand, and social media. This year Quality Street will introduce a new mix of sweets across its range of formats to include more consumer favourites, while the tin design features jewel-like sparkling colours to ensure standout on-shelf.

A new Quality Street 2kg Tin (RSP £18.99) will also be available for the first time. The Quality Street Purple One and Strawberry Delight novelty gift boxes (RSP £6 each) have had a makeover, which sees them reduce their plastic packaging and move to fully recyclable cartons.

After Eight plans to generate more buzz this year with its After Eight Mojito & Mint flavour (RSP £2), which its hopes will continue to drive the category’s relevance a with younger audience. And the 400g After Eight Christmas tin, which features an eye-catching eccentrically British design (RSP £6), is ideal for trading shoppers up. A PR and social media campaign for After Eight will run across the festive season.

In addition, an Orange Truffles flavour will be available nationally, joining Salted Caramel Truffles (RSP £5).

Also new for 2021 is Aero Bliss Peppermint – velvety, whipped peppermint bubbles wrapped in milk chocolate. It joins the Aero Bliss Mixed Selection, which includes milk chocolate, salted caramel, and praline flavours (RSP £5). The brand will be supported by its biggest media spend to date across the path-to-purchase, including out-ofhome advertising, social media, PR, and in-store media.

Quality Street Matchmakers will also benefit from a design refresh and will now use 20% less packaging.

Dairy Box also has a new design, and the sweet range has also been revamped to include Salted Toffee, juicier and tangier flavours in the Orange Surprise and new Strawberry Kiss, and new shapes for the Chocolate Velvet and Cookies & Crème sweets. The Dairy Box Winter Collection (RSP £8) 388g box will also return with a refreshed design.

In addition, Black Magic has also been revamped. The pack retains its iconic colours of black and red, while bringing to life the premium values of the brand.

Guinness paste

Guinness Cooking Paste has been designed to be a ‘secret ingredient’ to bring meals to life. The product is suitable for vegetarians and can be used as a stir-in or as a rub for meat and vegetables. It comes in a fully recyclable glass jar (200g). RSP £3

Boxing clever

Mackie’s Crisps is to bring a much-loved Boxing Day tradition into packet form. ‘Boxing Day Curry’ is set for a limited initial run of 250,000 bags. The new 150g share bags will be sold from a range of retailers across Scotland, to be announced in the coming weeks.

Christmas confectionery

Hancocks Christmas 2021 range contains around 600 lines from over 50 global suppliers. It features new Bonds Candy Stars140g and Reindeer Jellies 140g share bags, ‘Festive Mix’ Shaker Cup from Bonds, and BondsSweet Sprinkles.

Warbies PMPs

Warburtons has re-launched its range of price-marked packs to offer the best value to customers and consumers alike. The refreshed range includes three of Warburtons’ bestsellers: Half White Half Wholemeal and Wholemeal loaves (both £1.15), and 6-pack Crumpets (99p).

Good to be back

Whitworths is launching its first TV campaign in more than 40 years. ‘Good By Nature’ follows the brand’s repositioning over the past five years from home baking towards a natural-based healthier snacking and eating brand, suitable for multiple consumption occasions.

Bread bag

Kingsmill has unveiled its new bread bag to help demonstrate how a circular economy could work for soft plastics. The bag, which features 30% advanced recycled content, is moving to recycled material on a 30% mass balanced basis over the next 12 months.