The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

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By Gillian West, Social media manager

February 28, 2014 | 2 min read

Birds Eye UK brand mascot Clarence the polar bear is no more, having been frozen out four years after his introduction in 2010.

Parent company Iglo Group is now rolling out a new £60m Europe-wide marketing strategy without the popular figurehead, voiced by Willem Dafoe.

Speaking to The Grocer, Andy Weston-Webb, Birds Eye Iglo UK & Ireland MD, said Clarence had “done a decent job” but the company had a “much bigger ambition now”.

Weston-Webb added that the new initiative from Birds Eye – ‘The Food of Life’ - would be more about the role food plays in people’s lives.

Rolling out from Monday (3 March), £16m will be spent on marketing activity in the UK throughout 2014, with media buy including cinema advertising and a poster campaign.

Digital marketing spend is also set to treble with Weston-Webb aimong to “make Birds Eye the most recognised and talked about brand in the digital space”.

‘Click-to-purchase’ mechanics will feature in digital ads and QR codes will be added to packaging, giving customers a direct link to recipes featuring Birds Eye UK products online.

A new Birds Eye product geared towards adult dining and targeting couples is set to launch in the coming weeks, with a packaging overhaul scheduled for later this year.

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