M&S is starring TV chef Tom Kerridge in a new campaign celebrating its Gastropub range.The above-the-line campaign launches on Tuesday (24 September) and marks Tom Kerridge’s first ever retailer collaboration.
It will run across TV, video-on-demand, press, radio, paid and organic digital and social, as well as in-store over the next month.
The 30-second spot channels chef drama and will appear across Channel 4, ITV and Sky, including during shows such as The Great British Bake Off, My Mum Your Dad and Taskmaster.
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The storyline highlights how Kerridge has worked closely with M&S chefs and suppliers to produce a quality home dining experience.
The new range is available in M&S Foodhalls and on Ocado. It will launch alongside the transformation of the retailer’s original gastropub range which includes 25 recipe upgrades and 20 new lines.
Around 95% of the range is new or improved offering customers more choices within the range.
The campaign will also be backed by a new podcast called ‘Proper Tasty Pub Quiz Podcast’ and hosted by Tom Kerridge and Chris Stark.
Season One launches on 24 September and will be available on all podcast streaming platforms and YouTube, with 36 episodes each year.
Each week, Tom and Chris will also be joined by a celebrity guests including Pixie Lott, Jamie Redknapp and Jill Scott. The episodes will be advertised across social and digital audio to drive reach and listenership.
MS Food marketing and loyalty director Sharry Crammond said: “At M&S, we’re absolutely obsessed by the quality of the food we source and sell and that’s what makes us the perfect partner for Tom’s first retailer collaboration.”
“We’re also so excited that Tom is joining Chris Stark as the hosts of our first ever M&S Food podcast, which has all the key ingredients to make it the best pub quiz ever – delicious food, amazing hosts and the buzz of winning!”
She continued: “The campaign is taking us into new territories and we’re excited to see how it performs. The new creative really brings to life that our Gastropub range is from our kitchen to yours, made with ingredients you’d find in a chef’s kitchen, and we can’t wait for customers to try some of the new delicious dishes available.”
Tom Kerridge added: “The gastropub kitchen is my heartland and these new dishes take inspiration from the flavours from my pubs – comforting classics with modern twists, top notch ingredients and layers of flavour. All with the added beauty of being able to enjoy them from the comfort of your own home!”