Florette is to highlight the 'fresh-er-ness' of its salad leaves in a £2m 'crisp to the bottom of the bag' summer ad campaign.

The TV commercial, which will air during high-profile shows such as GMTV, Coronation Street and Emmerdale, kicks off on 1 July for a six-week stint throughout the barbecue season. 

The light-hearted ad, which aims to highlight the way leaves are freshly picked and delivered to consumers, continues a drive-thru fast food outlet analogy, with a customer calling in an order through a hedge. The 'fresh-er-ness' message made clear to consumers that Florette salads retained their crispness and flavour for longer and met consumer demand for good-quality, low-waste products that could be used in a range of meal occasions, commercial director Sandy Sewell claimed.

Florette aimed to reach 77% of all UK women in the wake of research showing ABC1 females to be the biggest buyers, marketing manager Elaine Smith added. "With many commentators stating that 2009 will not only be the summer of the 'staycation' but also a 'barbecue season' due to predicted good weather, it is important for Florette to have a strong TV presence during a period of high sales," she said.

Florette's new ads also aim to address concerns over waste by showing that its Crispy salads remain fresh for seven days after opening, following research into consumers' habits. Only 20% of consumers ate their salads on the day of purchase, 79% threw salads out before opening them and 88% have thrown one out after opening, according to the research.

The company's marketing has also targeted wholehead lettuce customers in an attempt to persuade them to switch, said Sewell. "Bagged salads is the bigger part of the market and if we can bring more people in from wholehead it will create more value," he said. "We want to deliver a really clear and motivational message for consumers."