The Campaign

The term 'branded entertainment' is a relatively new one to the NZ television industry. Rudimentary product placement has been part of the television landscape for a number of years, but it is only recently that there has been an increase in the sophistication of branded content. The regulations state that if there is a commercial agreement in place (the advertiser has paid for the placement), it must be clear to the viewer at home. There is opportunity now for advertisers to be both inside the programme and driving viewer engagement around the programme off-air. In the case of Chelsea, TV3 received a comprehensive brief and as a result the brand was authentically written into the programme. This is important as any 'forced' product placement has the ability to jar and turn the viewer off. Chelsea’s integration was superb and got the balance right – authentic use of product in the show. Although branded entertainment is in its infancy in NZ, local content is the cornerstone of schedules and networks are keen to increase funding. The sophistication of activation that Chelsea produced to leverage their rights off-air is world class – CNZHHB has changed the game for television integration in NZ.

Results

With difficult trading conditions, the commoditised sugar category was under pressure. Supermarkets pushed Chelsea for margin, while private label has increased its market share by 20% in just two years. NZ bakers were not recognising the quality of Chelsea Sugar and failed to see it as a core ingredient to their baking, believing any type of sugar would do. While New Zealand loves baking and iconic Chelsea Sugar, it had become clear that we needed to give bakers a reason to buy Chelsea to convert strong brand preference into sales. The heart of our strategy was to help our audience become better bakers, by showing them which sugar product to use allowing us to showcase Chelsea Sugar’s expertise and range. The centre piece of the campaign was Chelsea NZ Hottest Home Baker, an eight episode programme on TV3 and Food TV. Not only was it a crusade for the best baker in the country, it also celebrated what is great about New Zealand baking, giving inspiration and motivation to the nation’s bakers, using Chelsea Sugar on the show as the key ingredient. The show used amateur NZ bakers, just like our audience. This was not about aspirational food but recipes that could be copied with ease in kitchens across the country, using Chelsea Sugar products. To maximise the success of the campaign we arranged the license for Chelsea Sugar to leverage the CNZHHB, providing a fully integrated content and marketing solution. Packaging was changed out to reflect the show, creating a new look to stand out in store. Recipe cards featuring the ingredients of the current episodes, highlighted usage and drove purchase. The finalists were featured in advertising material and content within the Chelsea website and recipe club, further showcasing the show and our product and in an accessible way.

Initially, audiences were drawn in with a branded multi-media casting call, across 2 TV stations, radio, online and social media (Chelsea and Mediaworks channels). Regular updates via social media, radio, journalists and key social influencers kept the buzz going until broadcast date. The series was heavily promoted across MediaWorks platforms and outdoor, prior to and during broadcast. From launch the audiences increased week on week, driven by an off air campaign, including a radio promotion, in-store activation promoting the show and recipes, and extensive social media, which resulted in our household shopper audience increasing over 50% across the 8 weeks.

The show was phenomenally popular; by the last episode it achieved 24% share against household shoppers - up from 18% in the first show. By the last show, ratings were up 85% year on year. We believe this is related to the extensive use of licensing and integration. It had become part of popular culture, with companies like Vector, a power provider hosting their own baking competitions. The partnership between Chelsea and NZHHB delivered fantastic engagement metrics for the brand; • Likes on Facebook increased by 109%. • Recipe Club members rose by 185%. • Chelsea website saw an increase in visitors of 28%. Page visits increased by 44% and average time spent increased by 17%. • Google insights mirrored these results, Chelsea’s brand terms rocketed by over 150%. Products featured in the show demonstrated sales spikes immediately after broadcast: • Flavoured Icing sales increased by 19% while on air. • Golden Syrup and Black Treacle showed an immediate 4% increase in volume year on year, having previously been trending down. • Jam setting sugar increased by 16%. The success of this campaign has become a model for all future branded entertainment properties the network develops.