Ginsters announce further £4m spend on ‘Taste The Effort’ campaign, with new TVC featuring farmer character, ‘Merryn’

Ginsters, Britain’s Biggest Pastry Brand[1] is set to win the hearts and minds of even more British shoppers in 2026, with a further £4m investment that welcomes back the brand’s award-winning ‘Taste The Effort’ campaign and their beloved farmer character ‘Merryn’.  As category leader, every £1 spent on Ginsters media has a halo impact on the savoury pastry category – generating £2.75 of category sales[2]

The new campaign will reach 97% of UK adults more than 13 times, across TV, Video on Demand (VOD), YouTube, Radio, Social and Shopper marketing.  Taste and quality messages are supercharged in even more entertaining moments throughout the creative, where Ginsters delicious Original Cornish Pasty is enjoyed.

Building on the phenomenal success of the first ‘Taste the Effort’ creative, the new TV Ad continues to highlight the dedication and care that Ginsters puts into making delicious high-quality products, using only the tastiest British ingredients, including 100% British Beef and locally sourced vegetables.

The new creative, developed by Adam & Eve\TBWA, uses the tongue-in-cheek humour of Ginsters’ much loved farmer character Merryn. We see her back on the farm, proudly demonstrating the changes she’s made to continue producing the highest quality ingredients for Ginsters, and, like the brand, going the extra mile in everything she does to ensure it’s the best.

Since launching ‘Taste the Effort’ in 2023, Ginsters has driven increased brand relevance and is now even more strongly associated with ‘Is a Brand for Me and My Family’, which is significantly ahead of competitor brands[3]. Ginsters recruited over 123k more households YoY over the three months while on air.  In addition, executional branded memorability has increased by +10 points (+9 points above norms), Remembered each has increased +15 points (+24 points above norms), and Persuasion, Enjoyment and Involvement have also increased YoY, each year since launch. Key message takeout is also more people believing that Ginsters products are tasty and [4] the best quality ingredients.

Alongside the NEW TVC, a suite of social first assets have been created to drive engagement across digital channels. The social campaign will kick off from 9^th February, with the new TVC launching on 13^th February and running until the end of May.

Sarah Babb, Ginsters Marketing Director, commented: “Our Taste the Effort brand platform has done a fundamental job to drive reappraisal for Ginsters, putting the brand firmly in the hearts of the nation. Our media activity also helps to increase relevance for the category as a whole by driving top of mind awareness for savoury pastry. Like Merryn, we’re always building on our successes, and this new creative allows us to continue to tell the nation how great our Cornish Pasties are in an engaging and humorous way with more exciting stories from the farm. We hope everyone loves this next instalment as much as we do!”

Lauren Coates – Creative Director, TBWA added “All the great grafters of our time have one thing in common – they never stop tinkering. Merryn’s no different. This year, we’re back on her farm to discover what she’s changed, upgraded and improved in the name of even tastier pasties. Think scarier scarecrows, pampered cows, a new crew of farm hands and plenty of effort poured into flavour. As we continue to build on the success of our brand platform, Taste the Effort, we’re dialling things up to eleven to show just how far Ginsters goes for great taste and quality”.