Growth isn't cheap: biggest baking brands double ad spend

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This article is part of our Home Baking Digital Feature.

Home baking’s 10 biggest advertisers doubled spend on traditional ad space in 2014, dishing out £2.8m, a year on year increase of 102.3% [Ebiquity 52 w/e 31 January 2015].

The rise was driven primarily by Dr Oetker and Jus-Rol, suggesting brands are investing increasing amounts in advertising in order to maintain the category’s flat growth – value sales are up 0.9%, on volumes down 1.6% [Kantar].

Both Dr Oetker and Jus-Rol spent the bulk of their budgets on TV ads: Dr Oetker spent £1.2m, a rise of 1,225.5%, while the category’s second biggest spender Jus-Rol forked out £809k, a rise of 424.3% [Ebiquity].

“Our ATL support has been very successful in both raising brand awareness but also product awareness in key seasonal peaks,” says Gill Davies, executive head of marketing (ambient) at Dr Oetker.

And it looks like home baking ad spend will continue to rise in the coming year as brands fight to maintain growth. Dr Oetker is investing a further £5m in Easter and Christmas campaigns in 2015 and baking spread brand Stork returned to TV for the first time in 20 years in March.

Stork’s Easter campaign showcased the brand’s new pack design and ‘hero’ recipe, Easter nest cupcakes under the strapline ‘Bake Someone Happy’.

Here’s our pick of the most significant home baking ad campaigns in the past year:

Dr Oetker - Decoration Duel

Baking brand Dr Oetker is trying to broaden the appeal of baking by targeting grown up cake lovers and challenging viewers to very own kind of bake off. TV ads feature a couple trying to outdo each other in the kitchen with who can make the fanciest cupcake.

The ‘Decoration Duel’, which cost more than £3m, shows a couple playfully but competitively baking and decorating cupcakes in a bid to delight their guests. The ads aired over key selling periods in the home baking market, including half term in February, Pancake Day, Mother’s Day and Easter.

Jus-Rol - That’s Jus How I Rol

A housewife whipping up a chicken and pesto tart to Judas Priest’s 1980s rock anthem Breakin’ The Law might seem like an unlikely juxtaposition, but it seems to have put Jus-Rol in front of mind for viewers.

The pastry brand’s rock n’ roll makeover encouraged mums to ‘break the law’ by making something different for dinner using fridge left-overs and pastry. Viewers watched a mum come home from work and create the tea-time tart in less than 30 minutes in the 30-second TV ad, which also included 10-second cut downs under the strapline ‘That’s Jus How I Rol’.

Tate & Lyle - Bake Your Dreams Come True

With shares slumping thanks to its third profit warning in a year, it’s rather ironic that Tate & Lyle’s 2014 marketing campaigns included an edible bank. The sugar brand’s ‘Bake Your Dreams Come True’ campaign offered baking entrepreneurs funding to start their own businesses and advice from financial experts.

The Bank of Baking, which was unveiled in East London’s Truman Brewery last April, featured more than 100 pieces of edible art including coins, bank notes and a cash machine made by food artists Bompas & Parr. The campaign included full page ads in magazines including Good Food and Delicious.