Nature Valley Names Johanna Konta as First UK Brand Ambassador
Nature Valley, the UK’s number 1 bar in regular cereal bars[1] has announced Britain’s top female tennis player, Johanna Konta, as its first UK brand ambassador. The link-up demonstrates Nature Valley’s continued endeavour towards British tennis as a key brand driver following its position last year as the Official Snack Bar of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and Official Partner of the ATP World Tour Finals in London.
Nature Valley has a strong synergy with the mission of British Tennis where the brand is looking to inspire a more active nation through getting more people to play tennis more often, whether this is at their local park or club court.
The signing of Johanna Konta signals an exciting step change for the Nature Valley brand ahead of a major summer of activity to promote grassroots tennis and bring new British consumers into the game. The announcement comes at the start of what promises to be Johanna Konta’s most exciting tennis season to date. Konta has been on a meteoric rise in recent years. She has been British #1 since October 2015, and broke into the world top 10 in 2016 and was voted WTA’s most improved player following a semi-final run at the Australian Open and winning her 1st WTA Premier Event among others. Konta was also the first British player to be seeded in the Ladies Singles at Wimbledon in over 30 years as she took the #16 spot.
Richard Williams, Marketing Director for Northern Europe at brand owner General Mills, comments: “We are thrilled to welcome Johanna Konta on board the Nature Valley family. She is a great role model in Britain today and we’re looking forward to being both the Official Supporter and Snack Bar of choice for Johanna in her quest for becoming world #1. With recent additions to the Nature Valley range, we’ve worked hard to ensure our products meet consumer demand for ‘better for you’ snacking options and our gluten-free Protein range in particular really fit this need of a tasty snack.”
He adds: “We have an exciting marketing campaign launching this year to bring to life our British Tennis partnership that will feature Johanna and will serve as a key differentiator in the snacking category to continue driving our growth ambitions.”
Nature Valley’s Protein bars (RRP £2.89) give snackers additional benefits that also help tap into the male audience and as the only gluten-free bars in the Nature Valley portfolio, they appeal to coeliacs as well as the growing number of consumers who pick a gluten-free lifestyle.
[1] Nielsen, Total Coverage, Total Cereal Bars & Healthier Biscuits, Regular Cereal Bars Segment, MAT Value Sales, data to w.e 25.03.17
