Sainsbury’s co-ordination of magazine, recipe cards and ads makes a
perfect mix for Caroline Marshall
I’ve ignored all the jibes about Sainsbury’s TV recipe ads being
condescending paragons of small-time celebrity, and shopped at various
branches for eight years now.
In fact, these ads are one of the many reasons I’ve spent the past four
years trolleying around one of its giant Savacentres at least once a
week. And nothing pleases me more than having dinner decisions taken out
of my hands by Nick Berry’s spicy sausage ragout, for example.
Apparently, three and a half million recipe cards are printed for each
‘simply take...’ spot, so I’m clearly not alone.
This year, David Abbott’s partner at Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, Ron
Brown, and Joe Hoza, the agency’s head of type, set about redesigning
Sainsbury’s corporate typeface (Bauer Text) into something fresher and
more modern. The result - a clever, romanised version of the italic
typeface, Perpetua - has been taken through the line by AMV and others
into TV and press ads, in-store posters and food guides, direct mail and
carrier bags.
Sainsbury’s the Magazine is another contributing factor to its seamless
image. We know that the title is independently published by Michael Wyn
Jones and Delia Smith’s New Crane company (a partnership that in itself
reflects the brand), but it’s a two-way street: the latest Sainsbury’s
lines pop up in ingredients, and readers are never sent elsewhere to
shop.
Now there is a catalogue of cases where Sainsbury’s has been pipped to
the post by its arch-rival and the new market leader, Tesco. Tesco’s
Clubcard launch - which preceded Sainsbury’s Savercard by six months -
and its Metro sites are two examples. But ask which of the two has the
more memorable communications mix, and I bet Sainsbury’s gets the top
slot.
Agencies: Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, Clark and Taylor, McBain Noel
Johnson and in-house designers
