The M&C Saatchi TV advert will be aired to UK audiences tomorrow.
The way to a man's heart?
Jonathan Patterson, PR director for the company, told BakeryandSnacks.com that Ginsters' campaign is not about alienating female audiences. He said the 'Feed the Man' idea is a humorous take on Ginsters' power to feed men’s "inner steel" to perform acts of everyday manliness.
"Looking at our audience, the campaign has been developed to re-engage with our core male consumer – the everyday man – whilst ensuring we do not alienate our female consumers, so it is not going to be a laddy campaign," Patterson said.
"The central theme is all about fueling manliness and Ginsters satisfying every man’s functional need for food and their emotional need to be manly. Ginsters is dedicated to providing robust properly filled products that both fuel and reward moments of manliness," he added.
Vhari Russell, marketing specialist at The Food Marketing Expert, said: "Men's purchasing style and shopping habits are different to women, so it will be interesting to see how the campaign is styled. They clearly know their customer and are looking to increase the customer base and the repeat purchase rate. This advertising campaign could be the perfect way to achieve that."
A slice of the pie
Linda Evans, sales and marketing director for Ginsters, said the TV advert is just one part of the overall £4m ($6.58m) brand spend this year on national retail media, PR and social media - the company's biggest marketing splurge yet. "The campaign was researched really well with consumers and will reach 85% of all adults with eight opportunities to see it,” she said.
Ginsters is not the only one hoping to bolster its pastry image. Earlier this month UK firm Pukka Pies launched what it said was its biggest ever brand push. Unlike Ginsters macho campaign, Pukka Pies has opted for a family focused TV advert whereby busy mums are advised 'Next Time Pick a Pukka Pie'.
Wayne Greensmith, marketing manager at Pukka Pies, said: “We believe the campaign will resonate with mums who are under pressure to deliver at meal times and highlight how a Pukka pie delivers satisfaction with its full fillings and finest ingredients. We believe that this campaign will drive sales of Pukka pies and in turn the whole of the hot pie category.”
Commenting on Pukka's campaign, Russell said it is an interesting angle and one that will increase sales. "Many Mums are looking for quick and easy solutions to feed their family's. It is a competitive sector with a wide range of products from Higgidy to own label, there is room for all, as they are designed to target different consumers," she said.
When asked how the two campaigns compare, she said: "I dont think any producer can stick to one core route to market as you need to generate sales in multiple routes to grow and flourish".
Pukka Pies told us that through research it found there has been a rapid increase in pie sales from mothers and families in supermarkets, and has a big customer base from this market.