McVitie’s reaps benefits of John Lewis ad as Penguin biscuit sales soar

John Lewis is not the only brand to feel the benefits of its Christmas ad campaign with sales of McVitie’s Penguin biscuits also soaring.

Figures from Waitrose show that in the week the John Lewis ad launched, Penguin biscuit sales were up 75%. The ad tells the story of a young boy, Sam, and his friendship with a penguin, Monty.

“As the nation fell in love with John Lewis’ Monty the penguin it seems people were keen to bring a bit of his charm to all aspects of their day,” says David Jones, supply chain director at Waitrose.

Brands have been quick to jump on the penguin bandwagon following the success of the John Lewis campaign. Penguin biscuits have hijacked the #MontythePenguin hashtag on social media with a spot that says “This Penguin is for life, not just for Christmas”.

Penguin Books has also jumped in on the act with a Vine video showing its brand ambassador finding love in a book. Meanwhile, 20th Century Fox used the hashtag to promote its upcoming film The Penguins of Madagascar.

Waitrose’s own ad has also had an impact on its sales. The supermarket’s ad shows a little girl making a gingerbread for her school fair.

It claims to have “inspired gingerbread baking across the country”, with sales of key gingerbread ingredients rising, with dried ginger up 19% . Waitrose claims its £5 gingerbread activity kit is “selling like hot cakes”.

Recommended