Scotch Lamb Campaign Set to Target 3.7 Million Consumers

A high-impact advertising campaign behind Scotch Lamb PGI targeting 3.7 million consumers is set to be launched by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) in August.

The 2015 Scotch Lamb PGI campaign - set to reach over 90% of Scottish adults – builds on last year’s very successful campaign which boosted retail sales of lamb in Scotland by 11%.

QMS’s award-winning “Wham Bam Lamb” campaign resulted in demand rising by 87 tonnes of lamb over the 12 week activity in 2014, with an extra 28,800 Scottish households buying lamb between August and October.

“This year’s campaign is very much building on last year’s recipe for success. It was not only those who are lamb-eaters who bought more lamb during the campaign period but also new consumers who don’t usually buy lamb even once a year,” said Suzie Carlaw, QMS Marketing Controller.

A key objective of the 2015 campaign will be to encourage consumers to understand the versatility, simplicity and speed of cooking with lamb. The two month long campaign will harness a range of marketing activities to drive Scotch Lamb sales.

The marketing push will include billboard, press and radio advertising as well as on-line and in-store activity including 80 days of activity by Scotch “Lambassadors” in Tesco and Asda.

Recipe leaflets and other point of sale materials will also be distributed via the members of the Scotch Butchers Club, run by QMS.

A range of new videos for on-line and social media use, featuring Edinburgh-based chef Daniella Forbes and Glasgow-based chef Justin Maule demonstrating simple, delicious dishes, will also be launched in the coming weeks.

This year’s “Love Scotch Lamb Weekend” will be on September 4th and 5th, when a range of activities will take place around the country to celebrate all that is wonderful about Scotch Lamb PGI.

Historically, Scotland has consumed less lamb than other parts of GB. Around 4,000 tonnes of lamb (worth around £34 million) is eaten each year in Scotland with about 44% of the population purchasing lamb at least once in the last year (versus 57.8% in Great Britain).

“The target audience for the campaign is very much young professionals and busy working parents and the message is very much that lamb is not just for roasting at the weekend – it can also make a quick, nutritious mid-week meal for all ages to enjoy,” said Ms Carlaw.

“We know that we have successfully established Scotch Lamb PGI as a brand which is recognised by 83% of the Scottish population.

“However, there is still the perception by some that lamb is slow and difficult to cook so we have a huge opportunity to raise the profile of lamb as a quick and easy, value-for-money meal option.

“That is the main focus of our forth-coming campaign which focuses on simple, speedy family dishes and we very much hope will again deliver a strong result for our industry.”