M&S continues Tom Kerridge partnership in ‘Farm to foodhall’ campaign
Watch the TV Ad here
M&S Food has released a five-month campaign fronted by the brand’s chef ambassador, Tom Kerridge.
Created in-house, “Farm to foodhall” shows Kerridge visiting M&S Select Farms and seeing what goes into various M&S products.
There will be 12 ads in total featuring the brand’s Oakham Gold RSPCA Assured chicken, Collection Red Diamond Strawberries, RSPCA Assured milk, DNA traceable beef, Collection Sourdough and Collection Single Origin Honey.
Inspired by the fact that M&S works with 8,000 Select Farmers across the UK, the campaign kicks off with two 60-second spots exploring the farmers behind the brand’s chicken.
One spot shows Kerridge going to Somerset to meet Emily Wix from the RSPCA and chicken farmer Simon Darch to discuss the way M&S takes care of its chickens.
According to M&S, each bird has more space and benefits from a multigrain diet and an enhanced environment, with perches and pecking aids to encourage natural behaviour.
The second spot dives deeper into the way Darch and his son Andy look after the chickens on the farm.
The films were directed by Nate Camponi through Chief Productions.
Kerridge will also share recipes for making meals from the products featured as part of the campaign, including burgers, barbecue whole roast chicken and buffalo wings.
The campaign will run across ITV, Channel 4 and Sky between now and September, as well as YouTube, direct mail, emails and social media.
Media planning and buying was handled by Mindshare.
“British farming is the heart and soul of our food industry,” Kerridge said. “Supporting in-season produce is incredibly important to me personally.
“Together, we’re uncovering just a little of the magic behind what goes into the very best of British fruit, veg and meat. And, of course, I’ve got some tasty ways to take this beautiful food and create easy recipes for everyone to try in their own kitchens.”
M&S will release another ad later this year, where Kerridge will travel to Nottinghamshire, to meet another Select Farmer in Retford to explore M&S’ Red Diamond Strawberries.
Last summer, M&S announced its partnership with Kerridge by launching its “Remarksable” meal planner, sparked by the cost-of-living crisis.
The meal planner had five recipes for a family of four – coming in at under £2 per person per meal – and, according to Sharry Cramond, M&S Food marketing director and director of hospitality, the push had a great customer response.
Cramond told Campaign: “Tom is a genuinely loved and respected chef who shares the same passion for delicious, quality food as us.
“On top of that we know customers are always looking for value when they shop, particularly today. But value doesn’t just mean price, it means value for money and customers come to M&S because it’s the quality of our products offered at trusted value which sets us apart.”
Cramond said that “Farm to foodhall” is set to be one of the brand’s biggest campaigns of the year and that M&S customers “are genuinely interested in the stories behind where their food comes from”.
She added: “I’m more proud of this campaign than any other we’ve done at M&S because it shows exactly how M&S and our farmers and suppliers are leading the way on animal welfare, and producing high quality, great tasting food.”
Mike Baker, chief executive of RSPCA Assured, said: “M&S are leading the way on animal welfare, as the only retailer solely selling higher welfare fresh chicken, and this campaign shows the positive impact that higher welfare farming can make to the lives of both chickens, and their farmers.”
M&S has previously worked with Grey London on creative campaigns but in 2021 M&S Food moved to an in-house agency.
Grey London has since moved from retained to project status and received no M&S Food spending on advertising in 2022.
M&S Food’s Christmas ad was also created in-house while its Clothing and Home ad was created by House 337.