Morrisons #BGT Sponsorship Leads Marketing Overhaul

Morrisons’ Britain’s Got Talent (#BGT) activation lies at the heart of a major business revamp led by two huge ITV show sponsorships (#BGT and Saturday Night Takeaway) and an ambassador deal with the dual hosts of both programmes Ant & Dec.

Britain’s fourth biggest supermarket, which has replaced Virgin Media as #BGT’s main sponsor this year, has invested millions on the partnership rights and on an integrated multi-platform campaign that aims to reboot the brand by focusing on its key points of difference.

The work, which spans broadcast and traditional media channels, digital platforms, experiential work, online video content, mobile apps and social activity, focuses on what makes Morrisons stand out from its competitors and revolves around expert craft, traditional skills and fresh produce.

An impressively structured and carefully planned campaign sees programme hosts Ant and Dec star in a new series of Morrisons TV spots, while the sponsor simultaneously runs a set of at 10-plus ‘Market Street At Morrisons’ ident bumpers sandwiching the ad breaks in Britain’s Got Talent episodes.

Each 10-second bumper takes the same structural, show-relevant format and features a different employee showcasing his or her supermarket skills and professional craftsmanship and getting a rapturously positive Simon Cowell-style critique by a panel of judges.

Examples include Morrisons baker Debbie Kenwright (from the Warrington store) making scones

Emma Barrett (from the Hastings store) making fresh pies

and Dyan Kew (from the St Albans store) slicing ham

Another flagship element of the campaign sees BGT presenting duo Ant and Dec front a series of national TV ads.

This ambassador-led work is part of a wider Ant & dec partnership, negotiated by MEC, which sees the TV presenters feature in a range of brand activity for Morrisons.

An added element of campaign credibility came when the media reported that the superstar Geordie duo are genuinely customers of the Bradford-based retailer.

Again, these spots focus on what makes Morrisons stand out from its competitors with executions featuring the craft and skills of its staff, including butchers,

bakers,

and fishmongers.

These are further supported by a ‘Making Of’ online video with behind-the-scenes footage of the TV campaign.

The Morrisons brand and logo has presence across the official Britain’s Got Talent website, Facebook page, Twitter account and the mobile app.

The integrated campaign stretches across all of the supermarkets own digital platforms too.

It has rolled out a #BGT campaign website which features a programme countdown clock highlighting how many minutes until the next episode airs, the brand’s Ant & Dec fronted TV ads linked to the BGT partnership, the chance to sign up to the retailer’s email newsletter and an online ’Pick Of The Street’ store shopping game based on its Market Street range (which can be played socially with friends via Facebook).

It’s more direct transactional feature is ‘Great British Nights In’: a strand based around the supermarket promotions focused around price offers on ‘the nation’s favourite dishes. From British Classics to Great British BBQs, this includes eating ideas, plus product and price details with the menu changing weekly and direct links to online ordering.

The Morrisons Facebook page, which also includes a slew of #BGT-related content ranging from consumer comments to video clips, now has 170,000 Likes. This compares to the show’s own official Facebook page, which also carries Morrisons branding, which has 2.7m Likes).

The retailer’s Twitter account, which also includes links to the show such as highlights clips and exclusive content (alongside community and store based information, plus offers and promotions), now has 27,470 Followers.

While the supermarket’s YouTube Channel is running its #BGT sponsorship ident videos alongside its regular recipes, product clips and supplier videos.

The #BGT work follows hot-on-the-heels of Morrisons ‘Saturday Night Takeaway’ (#SNT) sponsorship which included similar skills-led ad idents, such as ‘Fishmonger’

plus Little Ant & Dec Morrisons web videos including Maginficiant Meatballs

and Perfect Pizza

This campaign also included a branded website with show-led content and updates, plus a £20,000 instant win weekly prize draw competition, plus branded presence on #SNT’s own digital platforms, the mobile app and show’s online ‘Studio Rush’ game sponsored by Morrisons.

Comment

This integrated, wide-reaching campaign shows how brands are putting sponsorship at the heart of a change in marketing direction.

Indeed, the twin sponsorships and the Ant and Dec ambassador deal is the first wave of CEO Dalton Philip’s plans strategy to overhaul Morrisons’ marketing.

After 2012’s disappointing financials with falling like-for-like sales, Philips said that the retailer needed to focus on more effectively communicating its ‘key points of difference’.

He highlights that: ‘No other supermarket makes food in store in the traditional way that we do at Morrisons. We have more than five thousand trained butchers, bakers and fishmongers and we want to shout about it.’

The dual ITV deal sees the brand gain rights to leverage two of ITV’s very biggest shows.

The last series of And & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway averaged 6.7 million viewers – peaking with 8.4 million viewers and a 34% audience share.

While Britain’s Got Talent (which is also sponsored by pet food brand Felix) averaged a total audience of 13.1 million viewers in 2012 and a 49% share.

‘This deal puts us in the homes of millions of potential new Morrisons customers every Saturday night and gives us the opportunity to showcase the talent that shoppers won’t see in any other supermarket,’ says Morrisons CEO Dalton Philips.

Rebecca Singleton, Morrisons marketing director adds: ‘We are delighted to be associating ourselves with two of TVs biggest personalities and appointment to view programmes on ITV. Associating with Ant & Dec, Saturday Night Takeaway and Britain’s Got Talent will allow us to demonstrate our points of difference in a way that has mass appeal and allows us to own the Saturday night food occasion.’

Simon Daglish, ITV Group commercial director, is keen to emphasise that the deal reflects how the channel can serve both viewers and commercial partners: ‘This is a great example of what ITV can do for our customers and both our commercial team, and ITV’s Brand Extensions team, can’t wait to bring the shows and talent to life for Morrisons customers in-store and online.’

Links:

Morrisons BGT Campaign Webpage

http://bgt.morrisons.co.uk/#/home

Morrisons Facebook Page

http://www.facebook.com/Morrisons

Morrisons Twitter Feed

https://twitter.com/morrisons

Morrisons YouTube Channel

http://www.youtube.com/morrisons

Britain’s Got Talent Website

http://talent.itv.com/

Britain’s Got Talent Facebook Page