United Biscuits (UB) has launched a new £10 million advertising campaign for Jacob’s, signifying the next step in a business vision that has already seen the re-launch of the manufacturer’s McVitie’s brands in February this year.
UB is now bringing all its savoury biscuits and baked snacks under the single masterbrand of Jacob’s, including its Crackers, Crispbreads and Flatbreads, and brands such as Mini Cheddars, Oddities and Twiglets.
The Jacob’s brand will now be carried more prevalently on packs.
This follows UB’s success in uniting all its sweet biscuits under the McVitie’s masterbrand.
The campaign is part of UB’s efforts to grow the savoury biscuits category, which has significant potential in the UK.
Currently around 18% of all biscuits eaten in the UK are savoury.
While the figure has doubled in the last 15 years, it remains far below those for the USA (45%) and Australia (40%). Under the new Jacob’s masterbrand, the ambition is to grow its Retail Sales Value (RSV) by 20% over the next two and a half years.
The three 30-second commercials feature comedian and writer Jason Cook as Jacob the Baker, spreading a passion for wholesome, baked and tasty snacks with the strapline line ‘Snack Happy’.
The ads, created by Publicis, were inspired by the insight that people want to enjoy savoury snacks and crackers, which are baked with wholesome kitchen cupboard ingredients.
Martin Glenn, CEO of United Biscuits, said:
“Our new campaign for Jacob’s is the next step in our strategy.
“It will improve and simplify the shopping experience for customers, putting all our savoury brands clearly under the same premium masterbrand.
“Through this investment we aim to grow our brands and the broader savoury biscuit category.
“This follows a highly successful re-launch for our sweet products under the McVitie’s brand earlier in 2014. Both campaigns tap into consumers’ love for our products, which are established as heritage brands worldwide.”
The £10 million campaign runs from 2 April and will continue throughout the year with the 30-second ads being supported by the cracker maker’s biggest ever in-store, PR, press and online marketing, including a significant push on Jacob’s social media channels and PR.
