Unilever launches digital push to fuel £12m Knorr brand drive

Unilever-owned food brand Knorr is launching an online portal to recruit food enthusiasts to act as advocates as part of a wider £12m marketing push to raise its profile in the UK.

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Knorr is launching a digital push to become the number one culinary brand in the UK.

The food maker says the campaign will promote the quality and taste credentials of its products while continuing to highlight convenience as a key selling point. The move aims to tap into the popularity of TV shows such as Masterchef and Come Dine With Me.

It is launching an online community to spearhead the charge and introduce new shoppers to the full Knorr product range. The portal will serve as a hub for the brand’s digital activity where consumers will be able to interact with the brand’s 230-strong team of ‘Knorr Chefs’ who are responsible for making every single Knorr product. Visitors will be able to share recipes from both the experts and celebrity chef Marco Pierre White as well as use a ‘Buy It Now’ feature to purchase products such as stock cubes and gravy pots.

Facebook activity to recruit fans for the brand’s “Kitchen Academy”, which offers members recipes tailored to their preferences, will support the hub alongside print advertising, sampling and PR.

The brand wants the flurry of digital activity to champion the “Knorr Chefs”, a marketing move that started earlier this year to reinforce its culinary heritage. It is also hoped the strategy will establish a community of advocates that regularly visit its site and Facebook page for cooking tips and recipe ideas.

Lucy Walsh, marketing manager for Knorr UK, says the “refreshed” website will show the “Knorr Chefs’” commitment to ensuring each product is presented in a relevant way to consumers.

She adds: “Digital forms an important part of our marketing this year too – consumers are increasingly searching for recipe content online, which is why we’re doubling our recipe content available on the website and using digital to help direct consumers to their favourite and top-searched for dishes such as spaghetti bolognese.”

A TV campaign will launch later this year to extend the push.

Knorr is Unilever’s is largest single global brand with a portfolio that spans a range of categories such as gravies, dips and sauces. Despite its scale, the brand has struggled to dominate a specific category in the UK amid growing competition from own-label products. The company says the upcoming activity will bolster its “masterbrand status” online and set it up for future growth.

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