Birdseye needs its Captain to come to the rescue
Birds Eye has reintroduced the famous and much-loved Captain Birds Eye character to its advertising campaign – 10 years after he was cut adrift by the frozen food provider.
The return of the well-known, white-bearded seafarer is part of an £8m campaign which will coincide with the re-launch of some of Birds Eye’s key products – namely fish fingers and garden peas.
It has been a tough time for frozen food companies, as they try and rebuild consumer trust following the horsemeat scandal and continue their attempts to adapt to changing customer habits.
YouGov BrandIndex data shows that Birds Eye needs a helping hand from its metaphorical standard bearer. Over the past 12 months, Birds Eye’s overall Index score (which is a combination of scores including Impression, Satisfaction, Quality, Value, Reputation and Recommend) has waned, decreasing by four points in that time (from a high of 32, to a low of 28).
This has been mirrored in Birds Eye’s Purchase Consideration score (ie. whether a respondent would consider buying products from a company).
Over the same time period, YouGov has detected a gradual decline in its score (a six point fall from its highest point).
Birds Eye will hope that this nod to its heritage and tradition will help to revitalise and renew the brand, while reaffirming its position as a trustworthy choice.
Appealing directly to parents and young children alike is vital. YouGov Profiles data shows that Birds Eye’s typical customers are mothers of young children.
This Profiles data shows that they are highly influenced by what their youngsters say they want. So the marketing team will hope that their campaign gets parents reminiscing about the character while at the same time getting a new generation of children enthused about him.