McVitie’s: Mastering the Art of Brand Investment to Captivate Consumers

McVitie’s, a well-established confectionary brand with over 180 years of history, continues to be the top player in the biscuit market in the UK. Its lineup of delectable treats, including Chocolate Digestives, Jaffa Cakes, and Rich Teas, consistently holds the leading positions on the bestseller list.

The brand, however, is not resting on its laurels. In order to stay ahead of the competition, it is embarking on a new master brand campaign to remain prominent in consumers' consciousness.

"Our presence in the hearts and minds of UK consumers is already strong, but it is imperative for a brand to consistently invest in maintaining that position," explains James King, Marketing Director of McVitie's.

In April, McVitie's introduced its 'True Originals' brand platform to reinforce its position in the minds of consumers. This initiative has already begun to make an impact.

The 'It's Time for a Biscuit Break, Britain' campaign resulted in a 4.5% rise in McVitie's market reach and increased its market share by 0.2 percentage points. Additionally, it achieved a doubling of sales growth for the brand, moving from 11% to 22%.

King describes McVitie's as the ultimate biscuit brand in the UK, already present in over 75% of households. Despite its widespread recognition among British consumers, King emphasizes the criticality of maintaining the brand's prominence in their minds.

"Our goal is for consumers to actively discuss and contemplate the brand," expresses King. "We strive for them to prioritize McVitie's in their thoughts more than they currently do."

According to YouGov’s BrandIndex, McVitie's overall brand health has shown a decline compared to previous years. In March 2021, its index score, which measures overall brand health based on factors like consideration, quality, and value perceptions, reached a peak of 34.7. However, as of 16 September 2023, the index score had dropped to 28.1.

Nevertheless, McVitie's index score remains significantly higher than competitors such as Maryland (15.7) and Fox's (22.5). Despite this advantage, the brand is not complacent and continues to strive for improvement.

McVitie's has invested £7.8m in their recent master brand campaign, aiming to re-establish the biscuit break. The campaign's first iteration was released in April and featured Martine McCutcheon from Love Actually. The advertisement served as a way to reconnect the public with the biscuit break and solidify McVitie's as the top choice for this break. Now, the brand is making a comeback on TV with their latest installment of the True Originals platform titled 'There Is Only One'.

King says the brand has a great story to tell and that TV as well as video in general, is the perfect medium to tell this through.

“Often imitated but never equalled”

The new campaign centers around McVitie's positioning as a renowned brand, featuring the acclaimed British television presenter Sir Trevor McDonald.

"The campaign playfully highlights other cultural icons that are frequently imitated but never matched," states King. By adopting a tongue-in-cheek approach, the brand aims to reintroduce enjoyment into the category.

The ad, created in partnership with agency TBWA\London, is said to have achieved the highest brand equity score in pre-testing for the brand. McVitie's has consistently seen an increase in sales when they succeed in rekindling consumer affection for the brand. With tough competitors in the biscuit market and private label brands vying for attention, McVitie's aims to reinforce its leading position in consumers' minds through this campaign.

As the market leader, King believes that McVitie's has a crucial role in expanding the overall sweet biscuit category. He emphasizes the importance of growing the category and rekindling consumer interest. According to Mintel, the retail size of the sweet biscuit category has decreased from £1.91bn in 2017 to £1.73bn in 2022. Additionally, Mintel's research reveals that 75% of UK consumers consider biscuits to be affordable indulgences.

The category is poised for growth as consumers seek affordable treats during the cost of living crisis. Therefore, the campaign is perfectly timed to capitalize on existing momentum, according to King.

With its broad appeal, the new campaign aims to reach the widest possible audience, rather than targeting a specific group, as stated by McVitie's.

McVitie's offers a diverse selection of products, including Digestives, Penguin, and Club Orange, all holding their unique positions in the market. In order to maintain this, King asserts that the company consistently strives for innovation within each brand.

An illustrative instance he provides is the introduction of white chocolate digestives. This innovation, a fresh take on a product that has been present since 1839, effectively attracts a younger consumer base.

He considers this as proof that even in a well-established market like biscuits, it is feasible to attract new customers through innovation. According to the company's research, approximately 70% of consumers who bought white chocolate digestives had not purchased any type of digestives in the previous year.

Considering the wide range of products under the brand, it was crucial for the campaign to be long-lasting and flexible enough to be modified and expanded to include various items.

“For a brand of our size with lots of sub-brands, with lots of activities going on, it’s important that we create a platform which can help join the dots,” King says.