Spam is to make its television advertising debut after 63 years on shelf as part of a £2m advertising spend behind the brand.
Hormel Foods’ chopped pork and ham product was introduced to the UK during the Second World War as part of the US government’s Lend Lease aid scheme for the allied forces. And it was assured of its iconic status in the 1970s when it appeared in a Monty Python sketch set in a café where everything on the menu contained Spam.
However, Spam’s senior brand manager, Marianne Pollock, said the brand was no longer “top of mind” and that the brand’s first TV ad campaign was designed to remind people that Spam was still out there. “With the new ad
we will remind lapsed users about the delicious taste of Spam while raising awareness among new users.”
The 30-second commercial will break on November 8 and run for five weeks before being repeated next spring. The ad targets consumers aged over 45 and will initially only be screened on TV regions in the north, Midlands and south-west. Set to a ‘Spam up’ soundtrack, the ad celebrates all things British - from camping to pantomime - and features a team of builders enjoying Spam sandwiches and Spam being eaten at the family dinner table.
Pollock added: “It is a fun, feel good commercial, which we think will show little or no wear out among consumers, and help to build incremental sales.”
The brand is currently worth £13.3m - it’s highest value for five years - with 9.7% year-on-year growth. And Pollock said she was confident the TV campaign would add an extra £4m-£5m in annual sales within two to three years.
“We want a greater share of the 15 million households that buy into cold canned meat. Spam is bought by two million.”
Sean McAllister
Hormel Foods’ chopped pork and ham product was introduced to the UK during the Second World War as part of the US government’s Lend Lease aid scheme for the allied forces. And it was assured of its iconic status in the 1970s when it appeared in a Monty Python sketch set in a café where everything on the menu contained Spam.
However, Spam’s senior brand manager, Marianne Pollock, said the brand was no longer “top of mind” and that the brand’s first TV ad campaign was designed to remind people that Spam was still out there. “With the new ad
we will remind lapsed users about the delicious taste of Spam while raising awareness among new users.”
The 30-second commercial will break on November 8 and run for five weeks before being repeated next spring. The ad targets consumers aged over 45 and will initially only be screened on TV regions in the north, Midlands and south-west. Set to a ‘Spam up’ soundtrack, the ad celebrates all things British - from camping to pantomime - and features a team of builders enjoying Spam sandwiches and Spam being eaten at the family dinner table.
Pollock added: “It is a fun, feel good commercial, which we think will show little or no wear out among consumers, and help to build incremental sales.”
The brand is currently worth £13.3m - it’s highest value for five years - with 9.7% year-on-year growth. And Pollock said she was confident the TV campaign would add an extra £4m-£5m in annual sales within two to three years.
“We want a greater share of the 15 million households that buy into cold canned meat. Spam is bought by two million.”
Sean McAllister
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