Celebrity endorsements are out in new advertising campaign for Sainsbury’s
Jack Monroe, a 25-year-old single mother whose stories of struggling to feed her son for £10 a week while on benefits have propelled her to national fame, will front Sainsbury’s new campaign from next month.
Two years after terminating its relationship with another Essex-born foodie, Jamie Oliver, the retailer has hired Monroe as one of four “real” food lovers whose commitment to food on a budget and work in their local communities has impressed the bosses at Britain’s third largest supermarket.
Sarah Warby, marketing director at Sainsbury’s, said: “In the current economic environment we’re all less interested in the ideas of celebrity chefs.
“We’re looking more for help and inspiration from people you can really relate to and practical, achievable ideas for food your kids will actually eat.”
Bryan Roberts, a retail analyst at Kantar, said the new campaign followed the success of Sainsbury’s Brand Match scheme and “Feed your family for a fiver” campaign.
He said: “They have been focusing on real shoppers over celebrities over a while. They are trying to connect with families who may otherwise have felt that Sainsbury’s is too expensive.
“They have been the most successful major supermarket over the last two years, that has been through broadening their appeal. It is reminiscent of Tesco’s rise to dominance in terms of taking shoppers from everyone else.
“This [the new campaign] has attracted a degree of cynicism, but it looks to be a timely, relevant message, particularly in January.”
Oh no – the new face of Sainsbury’s is the Guardian’s patronising @MsJackMonroe http://t.co/0bTz85BfZd
— Telegraph Blogs (@TelegraphBlogs) December 16, 2013
Sainsbury’s turns to Jack Monroe and great grandmother for new campaign | via @Telegraph http://t.co/TmIBsZ7N8R
— Will Corry (@slievemore) December 17, 2013