There are many calls for increased promotion of British food, whether aimed at our domestic market or in support of our export efforts.
Such a marketing drive has a greater sense of urgency, given the imminent threat of tariff-free imports, but there are also export opportunities created by the same trade deals.
Yet the marketing efforts backing British food try to sell broad categories, such as meat or dairy, and fail at the first hurdle.
See also: AHDB meat and dairy campaign returns with new TV advert
About the author
John Pain is vice-chairman of KFC Philippines and Alberta, an independent director at Red Tractor and a former chair at the Royal Agricultural University.
Here are his personal views on the need for a more targeted approach to British food marketing.
Allow me to pose a question: Does your weekly shopping list stipulate “dairy and meat” or “four pints of milk and two steaks”? The question matters, because advertising works on the irrefutable premise that consumers do not buy categories, they buy products.
For instance, a hugely successful global marketer like KFC offers dozens of menu choices. Yet, when it comes to advertising, it focuses on a single offering – a specific bucket of chicken at a discounted price. Single-mindedness is key.
The Department for International Trade (DIT) campaign supporting British food claims to be based on “what gets measured gets managed” – a mantra I fully support.
Granted, the DIT’s export drive under the Great Britain banner has a notable presence at international food fairs – from Dubai’s Gulfood to Anuga in Cologne.
However, the problem lies in how each campaign attempts to promote a multitude of unrelated sectors—for example, Welsh tourism combined with a British university education, and even cheese.
It is equivalent to brands such as Audi, Nivea and Lufthansa teaming up for a combined campaign based solely on the fact that they all originate in Germany. It’s nonsensical, and impossible to quantify.
Throughout my 42-year career in the food industry, the metrics that mattered were sales and profits. “Likes” and “opinions” don’t feature on most companies’ profit and loss accounts.
The promotion of British food needs to be a combined effort and focused on one product at a time.
The power of this single-minded approach was evident at the start of the pandemic, when restaurant closures created an oversupply of steak.
The aligned effort between the AHDB, retailers, producers and wholesalers backing British steak with in-store promotions and advertising generated a 40% uplift in sales. Now that’s talking!
Farmers don’t need generic campaigns designed to create “likes”. They need targeted, single-minded marketing campaigns to excite customers’ taste buds and drive sales
Exports of UK-produced food often cite the success of Scotch whisky – a product dominated by big players such as Diageo. We need to take a leaf out of Diageo’s book.
As a skilled marketer, it uses the unique characteristics of Black Label or Gordon’s to craft a brand image that translates into a strong desire to purchase.
They don’t advertise the “whisky category” or extol the “buy Scottish” benefits. Instead, they promote each brand and do a damn fine job of it.
British-farmed food and drink deserve the same flair. And let’s never forget that we have a great story to tell.
Our uniquely miserable climate, exceptional soils, grass-fed livestock, high welfare standards and world-beating farm assurance combine to produce food of exceptional quality.
Farmers don’t need generic campaigns designed to create “likes”. They need targeted, single-minded marketing campaigns to excite customers’ taste buds and drive sales.
And all of this is easily achievable. It just needs flair and imagination – two more commodities we have in abundance here in the UK.
