Fresh potato supplier Albert Bartlett has signed up a major Hollywood A-lister to front their new £3 million Rooster potato campaign in the company’s biggest advertising campaign yet.
Marcia Cross, who plays Bree Hodge in the hit US TV show Desperate Housewives, is to front the campaign aimed at housewives in the 25-54 year old age bracket as well as younger, potential consumers.
The television campaign is scheduled to be aired across all national multi-channels from the first week of October 2009 until the run up to Christmas, with print advertisements planned for the September to Christmas editions of retail magazines and grocery trade titles.
Famed for her red hair and keen cooking skills, Marcia Cross stars in the tongue-in-cheek television ad alongside a typical ‘pushy agent’ in a Los Angeles restaurant setting. In a bid to convince Marcia to front a campaign for the Rooster, the agent explains that like her, the Rooster has great taste and is remarkably versatile, demonstrating how it can be baked, mashed, roasted and fried. He also playfully points out that the Rooster is red, just like Cross’s hair.
Albert Bartlett’s London based agency MPH created the new print and TV campaign, working with top, award-winning director Paul Weiland.
A 60 second ad in the break of Coronation Streeton October 1 will kick-start the 12 week campaign, followed by 40 second versions and 10 second idents as well as several print and broadcast executions that together highlight the new, expanded Rooster potato portfolio.
The focus will be on the Rooster range which now includes fresh, chilled and the recently launched frozen potato range while a specific execution focussing on the frozen range has also been created for Ireland.
The move marks Cross’s first advertising campaign in the UK, but represents the second appearance of Rooster potatoes on terrestrial television, building on the brand’s “one potato; two potato” campaign, which very successfully targeted families and also highlighted the product’s acclaimed taste, versatility and premium quality.
John Hicks, marketing manager for Albert Bartlett, told FPJ: “We wanted to take the brand up a notch and really create that mass appeal from 18 year-olds upwards.
“Her character on the show fits the bill perfectly and when she looked at our work she was very impressed by our previous campaigns, our work on healthy eating and with schools.
“Launching the ads from October until Christmas means the product is at its peak and we hope this will help the potato category as a whole, not just us.
“Our previous campaign worked very well in terms of introducing the brand to a national audience, plus educating users, especially mums, on the product’s Unique Selling Points. We do however feel that it is time to take it to the next level and the creativity of this new campaign will really appeal to the next generation of consumers. Marcia Cross has mass appeal and a great synergy with our target audience, which includes families, but also couples and singles. Most people will not expect to see Marcia appearing in a potato commercial which will make her impact even greater, she will definitely bring a much needed touch of glamour to the fresh potato category.”
With the inclusion of television, print and point-of-sale advertising into their overall marketing programme, Albert Bartlett aims to build the Rooster potato brand’s position within the fresh, chilled and frozen potato sectors in a long-term 10 year plan.
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