Lamb ad campaign increases sales by £2.5m
© Tim Scrivener A six-week advertising campaign to encourage shoppers to buy and cook fresh lamb at home increased sales by 261 tonnes, generating an additional £2.45m in retail revenues.
The nationwide “Make it Lamb” campaign cost £440,000 to implement and was a collective effort between AHDB, Quality Meat Scotland and Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales.
The activity generated a return of £5.59 in retail sales for every £1 spent on it, the levy boards said.
See also: How a grazing and stocking overhaul reduced sheep costs
The campaign targeted consumers during July and August through a mix of channels including video on demand, radio, print and social media.
It included two Mail Online homepage takeovers which generated 115m impressions, while advertising through the video-on-demand services of the ITV Hub, All 4 and Sky on Demand – plus a push on Facebook and Instagram – generated an additional 27m impressions.
There was also radio sponsorship on Heart FM and some print and digital advertising.
New season lamb
Supported by celebrity chef John Torode, the campaign focused on promoting lamb’s versatility and ease of cooking as new-season lamb came onto the market in the summer.
It is estimated that the campaign drove an additional 272,000 shoppers to purchase fresh lamb.
The three organisations said they were really pleased with the results from the collaborative campaign.
“Supporting the UK’s sheep sector is now more important than ever, and we will continue to do all we can to stimulate demand for lamb cuts, given the uncertainty around trade deals and with Brexit on the horizon,” said a statement.
The “Make it Lamb’ initiative followed an eight-week “Make it Steak” campaign, rolled out during the first Covid-19 lockdown to encourage people to cook steak at home.
This saw beef retail revenues grow by almost £10m across Britain.