United Biscuits Re-launches McVitie’s Brand
United Biscuits is re-launching its McVitie’s brand, unveiling a £12 million multi-media advertising campaign as part of its efforts to accelerate growth for the sweet biscuits category. Representing the biggest campaign of its kind for United Biscuits to date, all of the company’s sweet products (with the exception of go ahead!) will now sit under the McVitie’s brand as part an overarching masterbrand strategy to help simplify the shopping experience.
Three 30 second TV commercials airing from Monday 3 February, aim to celebrate everyday biscuit eating moments. The adverts, created by Grey London for bakers United Biscuits, were inspired by the insight that something as trivial as the humble biscuit is a powerful and deeply embedded ritual habit in our daily lives. Animal themed, featuring puppies, kittens and the planet’s smallest primate, the Tarsier – for Digestive, Chocolate Digestive andJaffaCake respectively – the adverts adopt the strapline ‘Sweeet’™, to evoke the same feeling and emotional response to that of eating a simple McVitie’s biscuit.
United Biscuits is also revitalising the design and packaging of the range to support the re-launch and realignment of all sweet products under the new McVitie’s masterbrand, through the on-pack McVitie’s wholesome wheat sheaf logo. This follows the migration to flow-wrap packaging technology for the production of all Digestive brands, as part of a £35 million investment plan at the company’s factory in Harlesden. The ‘Sweeet’ campaign will be also be supported by a dedicated programme of promotional in-store activity undertaken by United Biscuits at both major and independent retailers.
Martin Glenn, chief executive of United Biscuits, comments: “Our masterbrand campaign for McVitie’s is the result of 12 months of extensive customer research in which we aimed to get to the heart of the emotional role biscuits play in our lives. Thanks to the strength of our heritage range, McVitie’s has come to represent 40 per cent of the everyday biscuits market in the UK. The new campaign aims to tap into consumers’ love for these brands as well supporting our efforts to drive growth for the category.”
The £12 million campaign runs from 3rd February and will continue throughout the year with the 30-second ads being supported by the biscuit maker’s biggest ever in-store, PR, press and online marketing, including a significant push on McVitie’s social media channels and PR.
