Princes invests £2m in major marketing transformation for Napolina

Napolina champions Not So Humble Ingredients in bold new ad campaign

International food and drink group, Princes, has invested £2 million in a major marketing overhaul for its Italian cooking brand, Napolina – starting with an advertising campaign that brings a new Not So Humble Ingredients brand platform to life.

Inspired by the common perception that staple ingredients such as chopped tomatoes, olive oil and pasta are the support acts in home-cooked Italian meals, the campaign combines humour and hyperbole to challenge this thinking – championing the ‘not so humble’ quality of Napolina products, in an increasingly crowded market.  

The new marketing direction has been developed to support Napolina’s ambitious growth plans within the UK Italian category, by creating a distinctive tone of voice that will resonate with new and existing shoppers across the category and drive brand cut-through.

The Not So Humble Ingredients campaign is launching with a suite of out-of-home, digital and social assets, inspired by Napolina’s iconic packaging and featuring striking imagery of the brand’s product range. PR and retailer promotional activity will begin this month and continue into spring 2023.

Napolina’s bolder and brasher brand personality has been reflected in an impactful new logo, as well as creative pack designs and formats with an unmistakably Italian spirit. New product development will also debut in early 2023.

Jeremy Gibson, Brand Marketing Director at Princes Group, said: “With economic pressure seeing people cutting back on eating out, consumers are looking for high-quality food when they eat in. So, this is no time to be humble about the quality of our products. This campaign gives Napolina a distinctive brand message that will enable us to stand out from the rest of the sector.” 

Established in Italy and launched in the UK in 1965, Napolina is the UK’s number one Italian cooking brand with a £102m retail sale value. Napolina produces over 140 products, spanning a range of categories including tomatoes, pasta, pulses and pizzeria.

Napolina continues to help inspire the nation to cook authentic Italian cuisine through recipes on its website, Instagram and Cooking With Napolina YouTube channel.

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Notes to editors

About Princes

With a global supply network and a portfolio of branded and customer own brand products, Princes is one of the UK’s largest food and drink groups.

The company specialises in manufacturing and sourcing quality products and, as a leading international grocery supplier, millions of families across Europe buy its brands and products every day.

Princes’ head office is based in the UK (Liverpool), along with seven manufacturing sites for foods, oils and soft drinks. The company, which was named ‘Employer of the Year’ at the 2021 Grocer Gold Awards, also has a presence across continental Europe, which is managed from an office in The Netherlands. There are also dedicated sales and marketing offices in Poland and France, tuna processing facilities in Mauritius, tomato processing in Italy and edible oils production in Poland.

Campaign credits:

• Brand: Napolina
• Creative agency: Lucky Generals
• PR agency: Weber Shandwick
• Media agency: Wavemaker
• Design agency: Honey
• Organic social agency: Spin