Walsh Trott Chick Smith has produced its first advertising for
Sharwood’s since winning the account last August, with a campaign aimed
at making the spice products more user-friendly in an increasingly
crowded market.
The campaign is also the first branding exercise undertaken by
Sharwood’s, which confined itself to product-specific promotions at its
previous agency, WCRS.
The commercial contrasts traditional images of the Far East, the
historic homeland of spices, with the vibrant and energetic ‘tiger
economies’ of the present day.
Written by Dave Trott, art directed by Gordon Smith and directed by Ian
Giles for Annexe Films, the film will run initially for six weeks before
returning in February to coincide with the Chinese new year.
The ad highlights the fact that half the world’s population lives in the
Far East with the strapline, ‘It’s half the world. It’s Sharwood’s.’
The film will break nationally on Monday to spearhead a major
repositioning exercise by the RHM subsidiary. Media is being bought by
BBJ Media Services.
Sharwood’s has been looking for a strategy and campaign to help it
regain its brand leadership in the ethnic food market which has been
eroded in recent years by new entrants. The company has found itself
squeezed between authentic offerings from rivals such as Patak and mass-
market products from Homepride and Uncle Ben’s.
Amanda Walsh, the Walsh Trott managing partner, has had a long
association with Sharwood’s, whose account she handled when she joined
WCRS in 1982. The business followed her when she quit as the agency’s
managing director last year.
‘Sharwood’s has always been known for its high quality, but is seen as a
distant brand with a ‘deli’ heritage,’ Walsh said. ‘The idea is to
create a personality for the brand which is younger and more exciting.’
