A brand new television advert promoting Red Tractor food and farming standards will air for the first time today (22nd March), making the start of the assurance scheme’s biggest ever marketing campaign.
The advert will be broadcast during ITV’s The Chase, regularly watched by up to five million people. Over the next eight weeks, it will then appear during some of the UK’s most-watched shows, including Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Saturday Night Takeaway and Gogglebox – supported by a strong presence on social media, on-demand services and digital channels.
Red Tractor expects 45 million consumers to watch the advert before the May Bank Holiday weekend, which would represent a 20% increase in viewers compared to its 2020 campaign.
CEO Jim Moseley said: “Red Tractor is already the most trusted assurance scheme in the UK, with 76% of shoppers aware of the logo, seeing it as an independent source they can trust. That’s equivalent to 15.5 million shoppers.
“We want to keep growing recognition and understanding of the scheme and the logo, and so the campaign will cover as many of Red Tractor’s sectors as possible, demonstrating how we cover a vast array of products found in shops.”
The previous two-year TV campaign saw recognition amongst UK shoppers increase from 65% to 75%, according to the scheme.
The new advert follows the same inspiration as its predecessor but this time follows a mother shopping for her family and discovering the values that underpin the Red Tractor logo. She goes on a journey from supermarket to farms and back again to learn how Red Tractor standards are met across a diverse range of sectors including sheep, dairy and fresh produce.
Based on the same model building and animation style as mainstream films such as Fantastic Mr Fox, every scene and model has been handmade, right down to the bread loaves and individual fruit and vegetables on the supermarket shelves.
Head of marketing Richard Cattell added: “Our farmers take enormous pride in the food they grow and rear to feed us, so it was important that this care was replicated in the production of this advert.
“Our previous campaign really chimed with consumers, so we’re excited to bring back some of the characters and visual charm, and hope that we can make supermarket navigation for those shoppers who are looking for food that is safe, traceable and farmed with care, that bit easier.”
Independent market research shows that 71% of shoppers say their purchasing behaviour is positively influenced by seeing the Red Tractor logo, while 43% say they would choose a Red Tractor product over a cheaper alternative.
You can watch a special behind-the-scenes video about the making of the advert below.