Unilever is ditching the Birds Eye gull logo. Is this genius or a flight of fancy? By Simon Mowbray

There has been a commonly held theory that, if frozen foods were invented today, they would have the biggest impact on the grocery market since the tin can or the plastic pouch.
Certainly, there’s little room for argument here as frozen food is, undeniably, a fantastic concept. Unfortunately, though, is it also a far from recent phenomenon so the frozen market has persistently suffered the ignominy of being one of the least glamorous sectors in fmcg.
So much so, in fact, that retailers are currently reporting a dip of some 2% in the fortunes of a category which TNS researchers last year valued at almost £3.5bn [52 w/e March 30 2003].
Which is exactly why it is hardly surprising that Birds Eye, continually battling the onslaught from trendier fresh alternatives, has finally decided to call time on its iconic logo and try a new approach.
Apart from the tiniest of changes to the famous gull design over the years, the logo has remained remarkably consistent since the brand first hit British freezers in 1938.
However, Unilever’s seemingly brave decision to bite the bullet and clip the gull’s wings is already proving popular in the trade with buyers singing its praises two months before the packs even go on sale and the number crunchers get the chance to see if the revamp is actually working.
Anna Roddis, senior buyer for frozen at Budgens, is one fan of the changes. “The new branding looks great. It is more friendly than the old brand, which was looking a bit tired. Something like this needed to be done for the category, to at least try to get people to think about frozen in a different way.”
David Stokes, senior buying controller at NisaFreeze, agrees that Unilever’s move should pay dividends but is adamant that customers will notice first the warmer pack images, rolling out to stores from April.
“The best part is the new pack photography,” claims Stokes. “It has improved beyond all recognition and that is what caught my eye first. I believe that will boost sales more than the new logo.”
However, one influential buyer, who prefers to remain anonymous for fear of “detracting from Unilever’s fine efforts”, is not so sure: “The new images could confuse some customers who felt safe with the old packs, particularly older consumers.”
Familiarity is also a theme extolled by the marketing community which warns the revamp could end up on the growing pile of marketing mishaps.
“It’s always a risk getting rid of an iconic logo or figures and Birds Eye has been here before,” says Tony Blackett, group deputy chairman of Interbrand. “They tried to drop the old Captain Birds Eye - but they had to bring him back.”
At least that’s one thing not on the agenda in the current revamp.
The benefits of frozen food were discovered by American biologist and inventor Clarence Birdseye during an expedition to Labrador in 1918
nWhile on a hunting trip, Birdseye noticed that the Eskimos were keeping fish and meat fresh by freezing it in ice
nHe later patented a simple quick-freezing device, the Birdseye Plate Froster
nIn 1938 American businessman Robert Ducas and accountant James Cresswell saw the potential of marketing frozen foods in England. Joining Birdseye Foods with the General Food Corporation they launched Birds Eye Frosted Foods at a press launch held at the Grosvenor House, London, on July 8
nShortly afterwards, Birds Eye Foods Ltd was incorporated with capital of £24,000
nIn November 1943 Birds Eye Ltd became part of the Unilever Corporation
nThere is no connection between the American company called Birds Eye and the company in the UK

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