Branston, the UK’s best-selling pickle brand, is to launch a UK sampling tour this month, as part of a wider marketing initiative to aimed at reinforcing the pickle brand’s positioning as ‘the perfect partner for cheese’.

The activity will amplify the success of the brand’s ‘Please The Cheese’ campaign and bring Mr. Cheddar, the down to earth hero of the TV ad, to life. At each event, Mr. Cheddar will greet consumers with samples and tap into the nation’s love affair with cheese by encouraging them to pose and upload photos on Instagram using the #PleaseTheCheese hashtag.

The tour will take place at 11 events and 12 supermarkets and comprises of 39 live activities across the UK from now until the end of the year. Key dates include Lambeth Country Show in London (21-22 July), Bristol Balloon Fiesta (9-12 August) and Bournemouth Air Festival (30 August-2 September).

At the events, consumers will be able to try different products from the Branston pickle and chutney ranges, accompanied by Cathedral City cheese and Jacob’s crackers from the Branston sampling van. With up to 5,000 samples distributed per day, Branston’s sampling activity aims to reach more than two million consumers in total and recruit a new generation of pickle lovers by reminding them of the delicious taste combination of cheese and pickle.

Branston lunchboxes, key rings and goodie bags will be handed out and consumers will also be given recipe cards, Branston dip pots and money off coupons for Branston pickle.

Nisha George, senior brand manager at brand owner Mizkan, says: “We wanted to bring this association to life in an impactful way to reconnect with our loyal customers, engage a host of new ones and to invigorate the pickle category nationwide.”

The Branston brand is owned by Mizkan Euro, the European subsidiary of Mizkan, a privately-owned Japanese business started in 1804, which is the number one Sushi seasoning supplier in the world. Mizkan is a global business with over 210 years’ experience in producing high quality products. Mizkan Euro brands include Branston Pickle, Hayward’s Pickled Vegetables, Sarson’s Vinegar and Dufrais vinegar.

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Branston, the UK’s best-selling pickle brand, has launched a new Pickle Pioneers campaign as part of a wider marketing strategy to encourage consumers to use the product as a cooking ingredient. The aim of the campaign is to engage a new audience of food enthusiasts and encourage consumers to use the product in home cooking through an on-pack promotion and an online competition.

As part of this campaign, Branston has partnered with three food bloggers to create a series of recipes to educate consumers on the versality of using Branston Pickle to add flavour to meals and inspire new and exciting ways consumers can enjoy the product. The content is hosted on a bespoke website for the campaign, www.picklepioneers.co.uk, which features step-by-step videos of the three bloggers’ recipes: Helen’s “Spaghetti Bolognese”, Lisa’s “Cottage Pie” and Dan’s “Chicken Marinade”.

The campaign will be amplified through an in-store on-pack promotion, where one million on pack stickers will be added across Branston’s key lines of Original and Small Chunk pickle jars displaying the bloggers’ recipes.

When purchasing the product, consumers will be encouraged to share how they use Branston in their recipes across Instagram and Twitter, using the hashtag #PicklePioneers. They will be automatically entered into a competition to win £500 worth of cooking kits. Starting in March, this on-pack promotion is set to further encourage people to use Branston as part of their home cooking repertoire.

Lorna Kimberley, Head of Marketing, Mizkan Euro, says: “Our objective with this new campaign is to drive frequency of purchase amongst a captive audience of food lovers. We know through research that consumers are already using Branston in a variety of dishes from Spaghetti Bolognese to traditional favourites such as Cottage Pie. We want to highlight Branston’s versatility and show how it can be enjoyed in many ways beyond the traditional sandwich. Our bloggers highlight how easy it is to add a dollop of flavour to your dishes and we look forward to seeing how other Branston fans experiment with Branston in the kitchen.”

The Branston brand is owned by Mizkan Euro, the European subsidiary of Mizkan, a privately-owned Japanese business started in 1804, which is the number one Sushi seasoning supplier in the world. Mizkan is a global business with over 210 years’ experience in producing high quality products. Mizkan Euro brands include Branston Pickle, Hayward’s Pickled Vegetables, Sarson’s Vinegar and Dufrais vinegar.

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Beans brand Branston has announced the return of its two-for-one ticket deal with Merlin Entertainments for the second year running, offering tickets to 13 Merlin attractions including Thorpe Park Resort and Sea Life Centres.

The “2 for 1 Tickets” campaign, which will be in store until August on multi-packs and single cans, “aims to extend the target audience for the brand while resonating with families in a fun and engaging way”, according to Branston.

The on pack promotion will also be supported by wider activity including PR and in-store activation, including specific retailer giveaways.

Dean Towey, marketing director for Branston, said: “The partnership aims to provide a point of difference and encourage product trial among a wider target audience. We were thrilled by the success of last year’s partnership and are pleased to be able to offer a benefit which truly resonates with families.”

Katie Chapman, Brand Manager, Thorpe Park Resort, comments: “We are looking forward to developing a partnership with Branston Baked Beans for a second consecutive year. The brand is very much aligned with our own core values and we feel the promotion is a great opportunity to reach out to families during the summer season”.

To claim tickets, consumers have to buy a promotional pack and take the label to the attraction of their choice, or they can claim their passes online using the entry code featured on the label. Consumers have until November 1 2017 to claim tickets at Thorpe Park and until December 31 for Sea Life centres. Restrictions and exclusion dates apply.

The Branston brand is owned by Mizkan Europe Ltd, which usues it for pickles and sauces. Branston Baked Beans are made under licence by Princes Foods.

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Branston is making back to school lunches special by helping parents decorate their kids’ sandwich bags with witty cartoon illustrations.

Branston’s “Bags of Fun” project, created by agency by mcgarrybowen, centres on a gallery of fun designs (one for every day in September) hosted on a new Branston website, which goes live September 2^nd 2016 at https://bringoutthebranston.co.uk/bagsoffun/

Parents can go to the site, pick an image to draw and either place a clear sandwich bag over the screen or tablet, or print a hard copy version and trace on the bag with a permanent marker.

The idea was inspired by Bryan Dunn, an American art director/designer, who drew cool cartoon images on his son’s lunch bags every day for two years.

Branston’s “Bags of Fun” gives parents everywhere the tools to put some fun into their kids’ packed school lunches and beat those back-to-school blues. The project launched on Branston’s website and across the brand’s social media channels, including Facebook and Instagram, on Friday, September 2nd.

Jane Briers, Creative Director at mcgarrybowen, said: “We felt this was a project that would get to the heart of parents everywhere, enabling them to make a simple, playful yet meaningful connection with their kids, even when they are back at school. It also demonstrates that when you put a little effort into making something, you make it that extra bit special.”

Lorna Kimberley, Head of Marketing at Mizkan Europe Ltd., which owns Branston, commented: “Branston will always make a sandwich that extra bit special but now parents have the tool to make it even more so! September signals the end of the holidays and this can be a tough time for both parents and kids. This activity by mcgarrybowen finds a way the brand could continue the summertime fun as kids head back to school.”

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Haywards, Britain’s best-selling pickled vegetable brand, is set to launch a new campaign to target millennial males. The ‘Lad in Salad’ campaign is digitally led and will demonstrate that pickled vegetables are ideal for livening up a salad.

The campaign has been developed following extensive consumer research by Haywards Pickled Vegetables. The research revealed there is a huge opportunity to be linked to the 1.5 billion salad eating occasions in the UK each year. The research also found that millennial men over-index when it comes to using pickled vegetables and that 71% of people are now eating healthier than ever before – a perfect opportunity for Haywards to capitalise on.

The activity, the first of its kind for the brand, will include sampling, digital advertising, SEO and a social media campaign. As well as encouraging the use of Haywards products in salads, the campaign will build on last year’s re-brand, showcasing the versatility of its products and the Tang-o-meter, a visual on-pack guide to the tanginess of the product. Recipe suggestions have been strategically developed based on SEO data by looking at the most popular search terms around salads.

The campaign also includes a partnership with influential fitness vloggers, The Lean Machines. The Lean Machines’ fitness, food and lifestyle content has had over 15 million views, in which they highlight how staying in shape is easy, simple and fun. Their audience is 71% male, with 85% of the total audience also being under 35, making them the perfect partner for the Haywards campaign. In addition to this, 15 videos will be created for use across Haywards’ web and social media properties, as well as in digital advertising, to highlight how pickled vegetables can be used to liven up salads.

The ‘Lad in Salad’ sampling activity will roll out with sampling in Asda and city centre sampling in locations close to Sainsbury’s. The Haywards team will also be livening up lunch for all of the participants at the Yorkshire Tough Mudder (6/7^th August) and the South West Tough Mudder (20^th/21^st August).

Noa Hasegawa, Haywards Brand Manager at Mizkan Euro, said: “This campaign signals a bold new direction for the brand. Our research showed that there is a huge opportunity to link Haywards to the salad eating occasion. Our campaign aims to inspire a new generation of men to liven up their salads with Haywards pickled vegetables.”

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Branston Pickle, the UK’s best-selling pickle brand, and Pilgrims Choice, the UK’s number two cheddar brand, are running a joint promotion to celebrate the classic flavour combination of cheese and pickle.

The new promotional tie up will focus on driving frequency of purchase and usage via an on-pack promotion, starting in July and running until the end of September, which gives consumers the chance to win a year’s supply of cheese or pickle.

Branston Pickle and Pilgrims Choice will also be creating a series of recipes highlighting new and exciting ways to combine the two food staples. These recipes will be hosted on a bespoke website launched for the campaign, www.cheeseandpickle.co.uk. The simple, everyday recipes, such as macaroni cheese, a ploughman’s sandwich and a bean burger, will also be supported through a joint PR and social media programme.

In addition to this Branston Pickle is partnering with popular street food trader Grill My Cheese to create the formula for the perfect toastie incorporating the complementary pairing of cheese and pickle. This partnership will highlight top toastie tips to consumers and will be supported by video and recipe content.

Lorna Kimberley, Head of Marketing, Mizkan Euro, says: ‘Our main objective with this partnership is to drive frequency of purchase of both brands, by highlighting how cheese and pickle are the perfect partners. As our products share the same usage occasion, the mighty sandwich, as well as having similar brand values, working together is a natural fit. Partnering with Grill My Cheese will provide an excellent platform from which to engage consumers in a fun, credible and compelling way. ’

The Branston brand is now owned by Mizkan Euro, the European subsidiary of Mizkan, a privately-owned, Japanese business started in 1804, which is the number one Sushi seasoning supplier in the world. Mizkan Euro owns Branston Pickle, Hayward’s Pickled Vegetables and Sarson’s Vinegar.

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Branston, the UK’s favourite pickle brand, will be sampling at the Battle Proms and Folk by the Oak this summer to raise awareness of its chutney range and its use in the traditional British picnic. The sampling series, using the Branston Pickle van, will run across the country in July and August.

The sampling activity consists of five Battle Proms concerts, the UK’s premier picnic concert series, and an appearance at Folk by the Oak, a one day festival at Hatfield House in London. The picnic-focussed events are the perfect pairing for a brand that is synonymous with sandwiches and the picnic occasion.

According to consumer research by Branston, 24% of the UK currently include Branston Pickle in their picnics. The summer sampling activity aims to also drive association for Branston Chutney with the meal occasion.

The brand will amplify the activity through targeted social media and by offering VIP tickets to the music events through social media competitions. Attendees will also have the opportunity to sign up to receive digital coupons to get money off their next purchase of Branston, extending the longevity of the campaign.

The Branston Chutney range launched for Christmas in 2014 and is the fastest growing chutney in the category, with 84.7% growth year-on-year.

Jonathan Jones, Branston Assistant Brand Manager said: “We want to extend the chutney eating occasion from a Christmas cheeseboard into the summer months by demonstrating how well they work for picnics. The picnic concerts have a discerning picnicker attending and we can’t wait to show them how they can make their hampers special with Branston.”

Branston Pickle will be sampling across the country from 9^th July to 13^TH August at the following locations:

• Battle Proms, Burghley House, Lincolnshire: 9^th July;
• Battle Proms, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire: 16^th July;
• Battle Proms, Hatfield House, Hertfordshire: 23^rd July’
• Folk by the Oak, Hatfield House, Hertfordshire: 24^th July;
• Battle Proms, Highclere Castle, Berkshire: 6^th August;
• Battle Proms, Ragley Hall, Warwickshire: 13^th

The Branston brand is now owned by Mizkan Euro, the European subsidiary of Mizkan, a privately-owned, Japanese business started in 1804, which is the number one Sushi seasoning supplier in the world. Mizkan Euro owns Branston Pickle, Hayward’s Pickled Vegetables and Sarson’s Vinegar.

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