Bernard Matthews Farms is investing nearly £3 million in national press, poster and TV advertising this autumn.  Under the communications platform ‘Proud to Work at Bernard Matthews Farms’, the campaign aims to communicate the company’s farming heritage and dispel commonly held myths surrounding the brand.

The ads feature people who work for Bernard Matthews Farms, from farming to production, and aim to raise awareness of the company’s new identity and strategy and highlight key product launches.  

The first stage of the three-phase campaign breaks on 22 September using 48 sheet posters and full and half page colour ads in press to target opinion formers with Bernard Matthews Farms’ corporate messages and reassure consumers of its 100% British sourcing policy.  

The creative features individuals who work in the company’s agricultural team, located in a rural Norfolk setting and proudly holding banners with messages such as ‘ALL OUR TURKEYS ARE BORN AND BRED IN BRITAIN’.   All treatments throughout the campaign identify the individual and their role, and carry the new Bernard Matthews Farms logo and the sign-off ‘proud to work at Bernard Matthews Farms”.

Says Bernard Matthews Farms Marketing Director, Matt Pullen: “Our ‘Pride’ campaign is all about communicating our new identity, our rural roots and our new product ranges.  Most importantly, though, it’s about reassuring people about the company. We have a tradition of using real people in our advertising and it feels right to do so again.  Some of our people have been with us for over thirty years and all who star in the ads volunteered for the job.  They’re genuinely proud to work for the company and they can put our message across with sincerity and in the right tone.”  

The second phase of the campaign launches on 6 October in women’s press, colour supplements and TV listings magazines.  This phase moves on to products and will focus on the new ‘gold standard’ Golden Norfolk Turkey brand of cooked meats to drive awareness and trial.   As in the press and outdoor ads, real employees will feature, holding positive messages which again reinforce the British message as well as communicating key product benefits like ‘100% breast meat’ or ‘no artificial additives’.

The October activity also includes a revisit to the national press with the insertion of a corporate booklet in selected editions of the broadsheets.  Called ‘Five Reasons to be Proud to Work at Bernard Matthews’, it covers the company’s business from farm to fork, educating on and addressing issues such as animal welfare.

Phase three will launch at the beginning of November with a national TV campaign featuring Big Green Tick, the company’s recently launched better-for-you frozen range.  

The advertising will be supported with web activity and consumer PR, which will bring the total marketing package to £3 million, with further investment in the run up to Christmas.

Says Pullen:  “It’s a brand new brand communication for us, a single-minded idea that allows us to tackle perceived issues around the business by addressing them upfront. We want to create a jolt with this campaign and get people to take a fresh look at Bernard Matthews Farms.

“We’re good at what we do and we want consumers to know that, too.”

Nothing, but nothing is more important to us than our consumers and what they think of our food.  We’re proud of our high animal welfare standards and of the quality of our food.   We’re also proud of our people and what they achieve and it feels good for all of us here to say ‘we are proud to work at Bernard Matthews’.