Sainsbury’s readies campaign explaining how shoppers can use Christmas leftovers
Sainsbury’s will use ‘local food heroes in a new year campaign aimed at showing users how they can use leftovers and avoid food waste after Christmas.
By Sarah Vizard
The six-week TV and print campaign, called “Make Your Roast Go Further”, will feature bloggers creating recipes from leftover joints of meat.
The supermarket says it is “bucking the trend” for running celebrity-fronted campaigns following feedback from its customers, who said using “real” people would be more credible and meaningful. Some rivals still use celebrity chefs, with Heston Blumenthal fronting campaigns for Waitrose. Indeed, Sainsbury’s used Jamie Oliver for 11 years until it ended the relationship in early 2012.
Sarah Warby, Sainsbury’s marketing director, says: “In the current economic environment we’re all less interested in the ideas of celebrity chefs. We’re looking more for help and inspiration from people you can really relate to and practical, achievable ideas for food your kids will actually eat.”
Sainsbury’s says the bloggers featured in the ad campaign are all “food lovers” that have built up influence in their own communities or online. They include Jack Monroe, known for her recipes based on her £10 a week budget, Pam Clarkson who cooks Christmas lunch for vulnerable people in Leeds, Rejina Sabur-Cross who creates recipes with an Asian influence and Nick Coffer, who has written two cookery books about healthy eating on a budget.
“Our four genuine ‘food lovers’, with families of their own, are making the most of their food to manage tight budgets. All are ‘local heroes’ who’ve built up their influence from the grassroots within their own communities, so it’s great to give them a broader platform to share their approaches,” says Warby.
The campaign is aimed at showing consumers how they can make their food go further, a key issue as disposable incomes continue to be squeezed. The big four supermarkets are also keen to prove their value in the fact of growing competition from discount chains such as Aldi and Lidl, which have both increased their market share over the past year.
Sainsbury’s is not the only supermarket to shine a light on the issue of food waste. Tesco said 28,500 tonnes of food was wasted in its stores and distribution centres in the first six months of the year and it is planning an overhaul of its bakery and fruit aisles, as well as an end to promotions on bagged salad, to cut down on wastage.
Sainsbury’s Warby says: “January’s a good time for us all to remind ourselves how to waste less and love our leftovers.”
