Ed Bedington
Leading food producer Grampian is launching a campaign to reinvigorate a once-famous regional brand.
The company is making a substantial six-figure investment over three years in Cookstown, part of which will see it back on TV for the first time in a decade.
The Northern Ireland-based brand was acquired by the Grampian Country Food Group during its acquisition of Malton in 2001.
Richard Walker, director of brand development, said under previous owners the Cookstown brand had been left adrift: "I don't think the brand equity was understood, its potential was untapped. It has huge loyalty, and huge recall among consumers."
Walker said the brand was worth £11m in retail sales in Northern Ireland and had seen exceptional growth, making it one of the company's flagship brands. He said the Cookstown range of bacon and sausages was still well known for its advertising in 1967 featuring George Best, then at the height of his career.
The Cookstown brand is now set to return to televisions with four to five slots a day for a month, including during prime-time viewing such as Coronation Street. The new ads will also incorporate the original 1967 George Best advert. The brand will also be supported with radio and press adverts as well as a PR campaign.
As well as promoting Cookstown, Grampian has also invested in giving the range a new, modern look.
Walker said: "We had to sort out the packaging, and position it as a mainstream, everyday type of product. The previous packaging wasn't doing it any favours, it was outdated and undersold the quality of the product."
Grampian has refreshed the logo and brought in photography which places the food centre stage, with a background image to suggest everyday use or anticipation.
The overhaul is part of a larger campaign by Grampian to reassess and reinvest in all its brands, added Walker.
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Leading food producer Grampian is launching a campaign to reinvigorate a once-famous regional brand.
The company is making a substantial six-figure investment over three years in Cookstown, part of which will see it back on TV for the first time in a decade.
The Northern Ireland-based brand was acquired by the Grampian Country Food Group during its acquisition of Malton in 2001.
Richard Walker, director of brand development, said under previous owners the Cookstown brand had been left adrift: "I don't think the brand equity was understood, its potential was untapped. It has huge loyalty, and huge recall among consumers."
Walker said the brand was worth £11m in retail sales in Northern Ireland and had seen exceptional growth, making it one of the company's flagship brands. He said the Cookstown range of bacon and sausages was still well known for its advertising in 1967 featuring George Best, then at the height of his career.
The Cookstown brand is now set to return to televisions with four to five slots a day for a month, including during prime-time viewing such as Coronation Street. The new ads will also incorporate the original 1967 George Best advert. The brand will also be supported with radio and press adverts as well as a PR campaign.
As well as promoting Cookstown, Grampian has also invested in giving the range a new, modern look.
Walker said: "We had to sort out the packaging, and position it as a mainstream, everyday type of product. The previous packaging wasn't doing it any favours, it was outdated and undersold the quality of the product."
Grampian has refreshed the logo and brought in photography which places the food centre stage, with a background image to suggest everyday use or anticipation.
The overhaul is part of a larger campaign by Grampian to reassess and reinvest in all its brands, added Walker.
{{MARKET EDGE }}
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