- Aunt Bessie’s is launching a new £3.1m campaign to highlight the role a roast dinner can play in uniting families
- The brand will be back on TV from 12th October with its new campaign platform: Caring is the hardest thing we do
- With caring at its heart, the new campaign brings to life those poignant moments linked with the roast dinner and time at the dinner table
Aunt Bessie’s is launching a brand-new marketing campaign. The campaign launches on 12th October and initially runs through to Christmas, and will see the introduction of the brand platform ‘Caring is the hardest thing we do’.
Kicking off with a new TV advert – and supported by video on demand, digital and shopper activity, as well as a high-profile influencer campaign – the new platform shows what it means to care for loved ones, highlighting the honest reality that doing so is often accompanied by challenges. Despite those difficult moments, a roast dinner is a moment that brings people together, is made with love and care and strengthens familial bonds.
“Caring has always been inherent with the roast dinner, whether it’s the personal effort that goes into the preparation, or the interactions people have around the table. Aunt Bessie’s has always been synonymous with the Sunday roast, so we are perfectly placed to celebrate that link and remind people of the genuine moments of care that are part of the Sunday Roast occasion,” said Sam Dolan, head of marketing at Aunt Bessie’s.
“This campaign was in development long before the challenges we have all faced in recent months, but the focus on what it means to care has perhaps never been more appropriate. We have also seen the importance of the roast dinner come to the forefront again. This is a time which is tied to many different warm memories and traditions which can bring warmth and unity to families.”
The popularity of the roast dinner continues to grow, and has been accelerated this year – with the occasion seeing a +5% year on year uplift despite Easter celebrations being heavily impacted by social distancing guidance[1]. This growth has been seen more so on Sundays than any other day of the week, with 39% of all roast dinners being consumed then, demonstrating the desire for families to share the traditional meal at the end of the week.
Based on this trend, the campaign is based on the belief that:
It is not always easy to care for people we love, but a proper Sunday Roast is a heartfelt way to show unconditional love.
The main focus of the campaign – the TV advert – was developed by Grey and depicts a scene that is recognisable in households up and down the country; a Sunday roast being lovingly prepared for the family to enjoy together. Narrated by a young adult hailing from Yorkshire, the voiceover pays tribute to ‘Nan’ pictured, praising the unwavering love and affection she has given her family through the years, including the incredible care and attention she puts into the Sunday roast every week.
Towards the end of the footage, it becomes apparent that the Nan preparing the family meal – based on the grandmother of Grey’s creative director behind the campaign, Chris Clarke – is blind, depicting a very real, and exceptional way how caring can be the hardest thing we do.
Chris Clarke, Creative Director from Grey said: “We all know someone who cares, no matter what. For me, it was my Nanna June. A legend in every sense of the word. This platform celebrates her, and all those other wonderful people who simply can’t help but care. Those people who bring the family together every Sunday, with roast beef and Aunt Bessie’s Yorkshires.
In line with the campaign launching, Aunt Bessie’s is kick starting a partnership with charity, Guide Dogs*. Echoing the caring ethos of the brand activity, the partnership will begin with Aunt Bessie’s sponsoring a guide dog and will ramp up through 2021 with additional support.
The digital and print amplification of the campaign will capture other recognisable household scenes, featuring quotes from shoppers that show how the difficulties of family life go hand in hand with the biggest rewards. Core products from the Aunt Bessie’s range – notably Yorkshire Puddings and Roasties – will be visible in all materials, reminding people of the range’s suitability for the occasion, with the convenience of the frozen products giving shoppers more time back to spend with their loved ones.
Running through autumn and winter, the campaign will be live when roast dinner consumption – and subsequent sales of Aunt Bessie’s core products – is at its peak. It also coincides with the brand celebrating its 25th anniversary, which has seen Aunt Bessie’s increase the size of its Golden Yorkshires by 25% to celebrate, giving shoppers a larger and more authentic product to accompany their meals.
[1] Kantar Usage // Total IH & CO Roast Dinner Occasions // 52 w/e 17 May 2020
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