TAKING GREGGS FROM CULT BAKERY TO MODERN ICON
Our best-known campaign for Greggs was The Vegan Sausage Roll launch in 2019. However, this campaign was the culmination of 5 years’ work steadily building the brand for a modern audience.
STAGE ONE: FINDING OUR VOICE
Search the brand on Google in 2014 and you would see the logo (hijacked by an anonymous wag) “Greggs: Serving Sh*t to Scum for Over 70 Years”. We were called in to build positive sentiment. Our insight was that people of all backgrounds cherish a warming visit to this (then) unsung hero of the High Street. We set out to unleash the latent love for Greggs amongst social-savvy influencers and media. We developed a clear tone for all communications that celebrated the brand’s down to earth nature. Our team was then hardwired into the online conversation around any topic that Greggs could credibly join and, as soon as we spotted an opportunity, the humble brand from Newcastle piped up. People really started to notice when we observed that a Rihanna red carpet dress looked like a Greggs Steak Bake. This phase is best summarised by Buzzfeed here.
STAGE TWO: TURN TALKABILITY INTO SALES
With an emerging brand personality and growing reputation for social-savvy, reactive content, we developed an always on content calendar that consistently delivered record levels of organic engagement and increasingly gained national media attention.
With Greggs gaining kudos as a cultural icon in social media and our content creating media headlines, we set out to turn this brand fame into commercial success. What followed was a series of product-led, creative content campaigns. Our work for Greggs coffee saw sales increased by 50% YOY, while the first ever food brand WhatsApp group for the iconic Festive Bake created national news headlines. Our always on, social-first content supporting everyday products was proven to increase sales by econometrics analysis.
STAGE THREE: AN ICONIC BRAND
The Vegan Sausage Roll launch was the climax of a series of insight-led product campaigns that turned social media fame into mainstream media love and sales.
Our insight for this launch was that vegan media attention far outweighed the current commercial reality, and we needed to position this product as something for everyone, not just vegans. Greggs’ sausage roll is a national symbol; could this be the moment that meat lovers and vegans come together? Instead of just another vegan product, this was the Next Generation of Sausage Roll. It was the first glimpse of a future with vegan and meat lover united. Our launch video parodied iPhone ads, and a range of media relations tactics supported this. The campaign improved brand awareness and consideration to record levels with 6.2 million organic video views, 1.4 million unpaid social engagements and 1200+ pieces of coverage. The VSR sold out and general savoury sales were up 12% YOY.
Ultimately, long term success was derived from our Cultural Rangefinder strategy which ensures product is always the hero but identifies the widest possible cultural conversation available for the brand, in order to manage a rapid or long-term perception shift. This methodology can, and has been, adapted successfully for brands in all sectors.
THE OUTCOME
As a result of our work for Greggs coffee sales increased by 50% YOY. The first ever food brand WhatsApp group for the iconic festive bake created national news headlines. The launch of the vegan sausage roll improved brand awareness and consideration to record levels with 6.2 million organic video views, 1.4 million unpaid social engagements and 1200+ pieces of coverage.