Birds Eye is set to increase the amount it spends on TV and online advertising for vegetables by 42% to £4.8m from now until December 2019.
The cash will be spent on a new campaign that looks to positively portray vegetables to children and their families. The move is part of a long-term drive to increase veg consumption and improve the health of millions of Brits. Ads will be shown during children’s TV programming times as well as during peak family viewing, with the nutrition message reaching social media users through Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Buzzfeed.
This advertising commitment forms part of a wider pledge – the Peas Please initiative – in which the frozen food producer will increase its vegetable product range, invest in consumer health messaging, and work to grow the number of veg promotions in store to attract more families into vegetables and pulses. Birds Eye is adding nine new products to its vegetable range over the next 12 months including pulse and veg mixes.
Advertising during children’s TV is particularly important, as in Scotland 10% of children don’t eat any fruit or veg and only 13% manage their recommended 5-a-day.
Pete Ritchie, Nourish Scotland Executive Director, said: “This pledge by Birds Eye should mark a turning point in advertising food for children, using the same creativity to sell veg as has been used to sell junk food and sweets.”
To put Birds Eye’s announcement into context: crisp, confectionery and sugary drinks brands plough over £143m annually into advertising. A mere 1.2% of all food and soft drink ad spend goes on veg.
Pete Johnson, General Marketing Manager at Birds Eye, said: “When Clarence Birdseye first found a way to flash-freeze veg and fish to preserve freshness and nutrients, millions of families were given access to better meals. Strong, emotional advertising on TV and online video is our 21st century effort to make sure veg finds its way onto more dinner plates.”
