M/Six Signs Lorraine Sponsorship with ITV for Onken

January saw the launch of a 12-month deal managed by m/SIX between Onken and ITV for the sponsorship of the nation’s favourite topical breakfast show, Lorraine. As well as traditional broadcast sponsorship, the agreement will also incorporate a wide variety of digital and social activation.

Not only is this a sponsorship first for Onken with ITV: it also sees the brand’s return to TV after a three-year hiatus. It presents a step change in Onken’s advertising, moving to a more continuous media solution and providing Onken with much more frequent access to its key audience of women with children. 

Lorraine is the gateway to the day for thousands of women. The show brings daily topical features that engage and inspire women across the nation with a fun and warm tone. 

This partnership brings together two like-minded brands at the perfect point in the day. Onken is able to harness the power of breakfast and use the unique timing of the day to showcase a range of uses and products within the range. The creative positioning and idents were created by George and Dragon. 

Throughout the year bespoke content will be produced to support the ‘Onken It’ platform, including social, video and digital articles. To kick this off, Onken will have a strong presence across Lorraine social channels throughout Breakfast Week, which begins today, with daily recipes posted by the brand. These posts aim to engage with and encourage followers of the show to try fresh alternatives to their daily dishes. 

Laura Grove, Head of Marketing at Emmi, which owns Onken, said: “Onken is the nation's favourite big-pot yogurt, and in 2018 we wanted to reconnect with our audience and showcase Onken in interesting ways. With almost half of UK housewives watching the Lorraine Show, this was the perfect partnership for us to reach our audience at a time when they are having breakfast and preparing for their day. We hope this campaign will inspire people to 'Onken It’!”

Anne Bailey, Head of Partnerships ITV Breakfast said: “We are delighted to be working with Onken on this exciting partnership. The honest and light-hearted values of the Lorraine show reflect those of the Onken brand, which hand in hand will make for a must-watch campaign. We are also breaking into new territory with some exciting plans across the Lorraine and Onken digital platforms.”

Laura Varnam, Partnerships Director, m/SIX said: “We are thrilled to see the return of Onken to our TV screens. When the sponsorship opportunity became available we just knew this was the perfect match for Onken. Lorraine gives us a platform to reach our key audience of women with children on a daily basis across the year. Having a consistent voice allows us to showcase the range of products that Onken offers. We are very excited to see this partnership develop throughout the year across TV, digital and social.’ 

m/SIX was instrumental in brokering the deal, from sourcing the solution to address the brand’s main challenge of improving saliency through to swiftly negotiating the deal on Onken’s behalf which was executed with precision. 

The sponsorship is one of a roster of other flagship sponsorships and partnerships that m/SIX has brokered in 2017 including X Factor, The Great British Bake Off and Channel 4 Drama.