SurreyStirring statistics on Knorr soup

We should like to register a couple of thoughts regarding your Brandtrack article on the canned and packet soup market (MW December 16).

Your data suggests that spontaneous awareness of advertising for Knorr in October was relatively low compared with the competition – perhaps not surprising as Knorr soup advertising was not on air until November. However, this type of question is influenced by brand size, and is not often a clear indicator of advertising effectiveness.

Overall, the Brandtrack data under-represents effectiveness of Knorr’s advertising. Our tracking data, which covers 500 housewives every four weeks over the year show that prompted awareness of Knorr advertising is, throughout the year, higher than that for Batchelors, and only just below Heinz.

The latest MAT figures (end of October 1994) for prompted advertising awareness are Knorr at 58 per cent, Batchelors 55 per cent and Heinz 63 per cent.

The ranking of competitive media spend seemed to be misleading. Batchelors’ total spend on soups, which includes Cup-a-Soup, is £3,055m.

You imply that an additional £2,505m is spent on Cup-a-Soup. This is not the case.

The ranking should read:

1. Batchelors 3055

2. Heinz 2896

3. Knorr 2026

4. Campbells 1482

5. Baxters 1283

Amanda Hawkins, Marketing manager, CPC (UK), Best Foods Division, Esher