Nomad Foods brand Birds Eye in the United Kingdom has relaunched and improved the quality of its entire frozen chicken range, which now features 100% breast meat. A £7.1 million integrated marketing campaign is being rolled out to remind and reassure British consumers about the quality and nutritional benefits of the product line and debut a new premium range, Birds Eye Inspirations Chicken Mini Fillets.
As chicken ranks as the No.1 growing protein consumed in Britain, the company’s marketing team aims to see this growth extended to the frozen sector by directly challenging common category misconceptions. In addition to the central 100% chicken breast theme and vibrant new packaging, the multimedia campaign will communicate the following messages:
- Birds Eye chicken products contain no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.
- All Birds Eye chickens are barn reared.
- Every chicken is traceable to the farm where it was raised.
A coordinated advertising and public relations campaign is scheduled to debut on April 3 and run through late November with strong TV coverage, outdoor promotions and digital exposure. A partnership with the UK’s most popular parenting website, Mumsnet, will underpin online communications and is expected to be a key factor in reassuring mums and dads about what’s in frozen chicken, while showing them nutritious and delicious ways to serve it to their families.
The six-month partnership will feature promotions across the entire Mumsnet platform and will include recipe inspiration, forum Q&As, “Facebook Live” and Instavlogs – a first for Mumsnet. Outside of the Mumsnet activity, the online push will be bolstered by influencer partnerships and substantial social spend to support Facebook video content inspired by the television ad.
The chicken portfolio is being expanded with the launch of Birds Eye Inspirations Chicken Mini Fillets range that will sell at a suggested retail price of £3.00 in supermarkets and other retail stores. Having already successfully created a premium tier within the Inspirations range with its fish offering, Birds Eye hopes to replicate this success with chicken. Made from whole inner fillet strips with a variety of different breadcrumbs, the new Chicken Mini Fillets fit in with the growing trend for casual and versatile adult dining options.
“It’s an exciting time for Birds Eye, as we have a huge opportunity to lead the renovation of a huge category that has been unloved for years,” said Adam Draper, general marketing manager. “Our intention for this relaunch is to address misconceptions about frozen chicken, focusing on the fact that Birds Eye is always made with 100% chicken breast and highlighting that it is a versatile and great tasting option for weekday family mealtimes.
“The introduction of our new Inspirations Chicken Mini-Fillets and Inspirations Kievs further illustrates our commitment to quality and this too will be supported with an extensive TV-led campaign from May.”
Noting that this is the brand’s biggest ever advertising investment focused purely behind its chicken business, Draper added: “With extensive communications, product improvements to our core range, premium innovation and new packaging, we are confident that Birds Eye will change perceptions and drive growth for brand and category in 2017.”
