With consumers now more hesitant in parting with their cash than ever before, a celebrity endorsement and the glamour it brings can make or break a product.

Despite its traditional reputation, the fresh produce industry has been following suit with a wide range of companies cleverly using the famous to boost sales of fruit and vegetables.

Scotland-based potato producer Albert Bartlett has seen success after a series of television adverts featuring Desperate Housewives stars Jesse Metcalfe and Marcia Cross helped to promote its Rooster potato variety.

'We always wanted to do something a bit different and when we first got Marcia in 2009 it was all about adding a bit of Hollywood glamour to the potato industry, which is often perceived as dull and boring,' explains Anne Rodgers, marketing executive for Albert Bartlett.

And with retail volume increasing by a sizeable 135 per cent and brand penetration up 96 per cent year on year following the Marcia Cross adverts, it seems the producer had the right idea.

It's often argued that the fresh produce industry has relied too much on using scantily-clad women to market fruit and vegetables, but Bartlett's latest ads featuring hunky Metcalfe jogging past the windows of a series of awe-struck, potato-cooking mums turned conventions on their head and Rodgers says that creativity in advertising is closely linked with brand loyalty. 'After last year's bad weather potato prices have risen massively, but despite this our sales are still very good off the back of the Jesse Metcalfe adverts, which I think tells its own story. Our target consumers are continuing to support our potatoes and we've also seen a rise in sales from young consumers off the back of the campaign,' adds Rodgers.

Meanwhile, Soleco-owned packed-salads business Salads To Go has seen similar success following its close relationship with TV chef Jamie Oliver. Launching its kit recipe salad bags into Morrisons in the summer of 2010, now selling exclusively to Tesco, the bags – equipped with Oliver-approved salad dressings – quickly became a top seller at both supermarkets. Oliver himself told FPJ that he believes the product has helped to attract new consumers towards healthy eating. He says: 'When I'm working on a new product I look to my favourite recipes for inspiration. They're all about big, fresh flavours, but also something a bit different and exciting, which I believe encourages people who don't usually buy bagged salads to give mine a try.'

The salad bags, which retail at £1 and include a summer and winter range, are in the top third of the bagged-salads category, according to Julia Rogers, commercial director at Salads To Go, and she believes that the Olympics has left a massive opportunity for the fresh produce industry. 'While I can't talk about our future campaigns, it's a no brainer that Olympians and role models should be used to deliver health messages and showcase the benefits of fruit and vegetables.'

And with this year's Winter Berries campaign featuring recipes from gold medalist Mo Farah's nutritionist, Matt Lovell, and Florette using athletics legend Roger Black in its 2012 campaign, the legacy of the London Games could impact on fresh produce marketing for years to come.

However, Florette's marketing manager Elaine Smith is keen to stress that celebrity campaigns are not guaranteed to succeed and must be properly thought out. 'I think there is certainly a role for fresh produce brands to use celebrities to endorse a campaign,' she explains. 'However, it needs to be the right tactic for the brand or organisation at the right time to engage with consumers and deliver measurable results.'

The power of celebrity was perfectly illustrated recently by Morrisons when it announced a new multimedia advertising campaign featuring TV duo Ant and Dec following a disappointing Christmas performance, with like-for-like sales dropping 2.5 per cent for the six weeks to 30 December. Chief executive Dalton Philips admitted he hoped the campaign, which will celebrate what makes Morrisons and its workers unique, could reverse the retailer's fortunes after previous adverts featuring the likes of ex-footballer Alan Hansen and TV's Richard Hammond boosted sales.

Morrisons' commercial director Rebecca Singleton says that trusted, recognisable faces such as Ant and Dec are the perfect way to communicate brand messages to consumers.

'Ant and Dec's talent is in showcasing the extraordinary talent of people, and that's exactly what they'll be doing with Morrisons.'

With many Brits still suffering from the recession, the fresh produce industry is currently faced with a hard task in standing out to consumers, but despite the high costs, Albert Bartlett's Rodgers says celebrity adverts are definitely the way forward.

She concludes: 'With more and more people cooking at home, celebrity chefs are at their peak at the moment – and I can't see that fading in the coming years. The way things are going, who knows what will happen next – perhaps celebrity dogs will be selling us fresh produce?' We hope you're reading, Lassie. —

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When footballer David Beckham was signed up by Sainsbury's to front the supermarket's Active Kids and Paralympics campaigns, he was paid a reported£5 million for the work.

After last year's bad weather potato prices have risen massively, but despite this our sales are still very good off the back of the Jesse Metcalfe adverts

It's a no brainer that Olympians and role models should be used to deliver health messages and showcase the benefits of fruit and vegetables