July sees the launch of Love Canned Food, a partnership between Princes and Crown Food Europe that seeks to drive awareness of the positive benefits of canned food and increase sales in the category.
The initiative communicates the advantages of buying canned food including quality, taste, value, convenience and sustainability. The project will also help to dispel common myths about canned food, such as that all canned foods use preservatives, and educate consumers about the unique canning process.
A multi-channel communications programme is supporting the initiative and will incorporate digital marketing, a consumer website, recipe development, video marketing, social media, PR and influencer engagement.
The canned food industry is worth £2.2 billion to UK retailers, with 1.24 million kilogrammes of canned goods being purchased by UK consumers each year. It has, however, experienced challenges in recent years.
Dean Towey, Marketing Director of Food Manufacturing at Princes, said: “Over 99% of households buy from the canned category each year, meaning that it remains a relevant choice for consumers and an extremely important part of the grocery market.
“The unique selling points of canned food, including the fact that it is convenient, excellent value for money and often has strong nutritional qualities are the same today as they have always been. However, younger consumers are not always aware of these benefits and can have misconceptions about its quality and taste. Love Canned Food aims to challenge these myths and directly target younger consumers through fresh, modern communications using digital channels.”
The initiative will be supported by a number of ambassadors including blogger, author and finalist of Britain’s biggest baking TV show, Holly Bell, and respected dietitian Azmina Govindji.
Aidan Ruddock, Commercial Director at Crown, added: “We are proud of our heritage within the canned category and are excited to see this initiative educate shoppers and support the canned category. Crown is the leader in metal packaging technology and this collaboration with Princes will enable us to further position the can as a quality, convenient and fully recyclable packaging format with a strong future.”
Crown Food Europe has been a long-standing supplier of food cans to Princes.
The Love Canned Food website is now live, and the initiative also has a presence on YouTube and Instagram.