BRITISH LION will spend £1.3m marketing eggs produced under its assurance scheme this year following double-digit retail sales growth in 2020.
While the foodservice sector suffered, in the year to 27 December 2020 retail sales of eggs were up 18.4% in volume – the equivalent of around 1.2 billion eggs.
See also: Wholesale free-range egg prices hit 30-month high
Value also grew, 23% over the same period.
And British Lion has said this year its marketing activity will focus on maintaining that retail growth delivered by lockdowns.
The campaign plans to share “inspiring” recipe content, targeting millennial consumers in particular.
It will also seek to foster a sense of national pride in home-produced eggs against the backdrop of Brexit and an appreciated demand for more British produce.
Digital advertising
Tom Daley, the Olympic diver, will continue his role as a figurehead for British Lion Eggs as he builds towards representing Great Britain at the postponed Olympic Games in Tokyo this year.
He will front a digital campaign across websites such as BBC Good Food and Men’s Health.
British Lion also plans to sponsor podcasts as well as initiate a partnership with the digital food platform Tastemade.
Runny eggs
The registered nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed will help support British Lion’s campaign to reinforce Food Standards Agency advice that its eggs are safe to be consumed runny by vulnerable groups.
And the campaign will also have a strong foodservice focus. Food safety professional Lisa Ackerley continues to work with British Lion eggs to highlight their benefits to Environmental Health Officers and hospitality through social content, training and liaison with key industry influencers.
Andrew Joret, Chairman of the British Egg Industry Council, said: “While retail sales have been on the up for more than a decade, last year we witnessed an incredible increase in egg sales, due to lockdown.
Maintain consumption
“Healthy, quick and easy to cook, as well as versatile, consumers are using eggs as a meal solution throughout the day, which gives us a fantastic opportunity to try to maintain those consumption levels throughout this year and beyond.
“Conversely, there have been huge challenges for hospitality as a result of lockdown, but we are optimistic the sector will start to recover when lockdown eases, and our marketing programme will highlight the benefits of British Lion eggs and encourage increased usage.
“We enter a post-Brexit world expecting increased demand for British produce and with huge confidence that we can continue to inspire customers and end consumers with motivating messages.”
