St Luke's New Aunt Bessie's Campaign 'Brings Out the Bessie in You'

Aunt Bessie’s is embarking on a modern makeover with a brand new marketing strategy, communications route and visual identity. Entitled ‘Bring out the Bessie in you’, the brand is focusing on what it’s famous for: the roast dinner. 

The roast has seen a recent period of growth (+4.2% this year), driven largely by an increase in midweek consumption - adding 51.4 million occasions and now totalling 1.28 billion. While consumption is up amongst all age groups, the most notable increase has come from millennials, who have eaten 9.5% more roasts in the past year . 

Hannah Haas, marketing director at Aunt Bessie’s, comments: “’Practicality’ and ‘easiness to prepare’ have been the driving forces for the increased midweek consumption of a roast meal, with consumers considering it to be easier than ever to prepare. Our latest £5m ‘Bring out the Bessie in you’ campaign is centred on this insight and aims to show the nation just how easy it is to enjoy a roast at any time of the week.”

“’Bring out the Bessie in you’ is a complete step-change for the Aunt Bessie’s brand,” Haas continues. “In fact, we had originally tested the concept with Margaret and Mabel - the famous faces that have fronted our advertising campaigns since 2009; but instinctively felt it was time for a modern injection. With a compelling idea comes a need to be bold and brave, which led us to trial a completely new creative route - and it has landed exceptionally well. 

“The idea is simple. It’s based on a human truth: we all have the same problem every evening – what are we going to eat tonight? We know that people love roast dinners, but often are thought to be time consuming to make. Aunt Bessie’s, however, breaks down those barriers and makes it possible to make a delicious roast dinner quickly and simply, any day of the week. It’s all about inspiring everyday victories by doing things properly.”

The ad, created by St Luke’s, opens with a character, George, who’s heading home from work and asking himself that oh so familiar question many of us ask ourselves: “What’s for dinner tonight?”

Home time on a Thursday can be the most anti-climactic hour of the week. The time when we all get hit with the absolute hardest question… what’s for dinner? The long journey home that awaits can seem like an eternity with nothing at the end of the tunnel. 

But with Aunt Bessie’s waiting in the freezer, you can set your destination to meal time greatness. 

So don’t dawdle. Glory awaits. 

Bring out the Bessie in you.

“This is a big bet for us and we’re supporting the campaign with our biggest ever investment. The TV advert launched on Thursday 25th October. We’ll also be introducing new packaging in the New Year featuring mouth-watering food photography and rolling out bespoke shopper activations. To ensure we have a consistent look and feel across all channels, the Aunt Bessie’s website recently received a modern facelift, featuring delicious meal inspirations and a clear link to customer sites to buy,” concludes Haas.

While the traditional Sunday roast has declined over the last 18 months or so, the meal is still as popular as ever. On average, people are eating roasts 1.3 times a week. While this is parity to last year’s figures, it is now reaching more consumers with penetration going from 30.1% to 30.5% . 

While the traditional Sunday roast has declined over the last 18 months or so, the meal is still as popular as ever and remains the nation’s fifth largest meal occasion. On average, people are eating roasts 1.3 times a week. While this is parity to last year’s figures, it is now reaching more consumers with penetration going from 30.1% to 30.5% . 

Richard Denney, ECD at St Luke’s, comments: “Aunt Bessie’s has long been the nation’s favourite for Yorkshires and Roasties; we hope our new recipe of comedy and nostalgia delivered on a horse will grab people’s attention and inspire them to gallop straight to the freezer aisle.” 

Neil Henderson, CEO St Luke’s, comments: “This new campaign represents a step change in ambition for Aunt Bessie’s. We are delighted to be launching a new long-term creative platform and brand device especially designed for a multi-channel world.”