Mowi has doubled its sales in the U.K. over the past year, and has launched a new marketing campaign to continue building its national profile.
The Bergen, Norway-based salmon company recently announced its sponsorship of chef and TV personality Gordon Ramsay’s new competitive cooking show , Next Level Chef, which will air on ITV and ITVX from 11 January through 1 March.
By partnering with a primetime week night TV program, Mowi is investing in its brand-building efforts for its Scottish salmon.
“Mowi is perfect to create restaurant-worthy meals, being the best of the best of Scottish salmon, prepared for beautiful presentation and ease of cooking. We hope that consumers will be inspired to try something new during these winter months,” Mowi Consumer Products U.K. Head of Sales James Cowan told SeafoodSource.
Cowan said he expects Next Level Chef to reach “a very wide audience every week.” Despite “times being tough” for Britons due to record grocery inflation and high energy costs, Cowan said he believes the sponsorship will pay off.
“Mowi continues to invest to inspire consumers and generate the desire to eat salmon. Many consumers will be cutting back on expenditure such as eating out so partnering with Next Level Chef places Mowi Scottish salmon in consideration for a special meal at home,” Cowan said.
Mowi’s decision to sponsor the TV program aligns with the supplier’s goal, set in 2021, to drive “brand awareness and positioning as a premium-quality Scottish Salmon brand in the country,” Cowan said. The sponsorship offer from ITV came at an opportune time, Cowan said, as the show was recorded in U.K. after the first successful airing in the U.S. in 2022, according to Cowan.
The competition takes place on a three-story building, made up of three unique kitchen spaces, and sports 12 contestants showing their talent and ingenuity each week to avoid elimination. The contestants are a mix of talented home cooks, social media stars, and professional chefs – each battling to work with the best ingredients and fighting to cook in the luxury top level kitchen each week.
The winner will be awarded GBP 100,000 (USD 120,000, EUR 120,000) plus a 12-month mentorship with Ramsay and fellow mentors Paul Ainsworth and Nyesha Arrington.
Mowi has invested more than GBP 7 million (EUR 7.8 million) in TV and digital advertising in the U.K. since 2021, which has helped the company double brand sales in the country, U.K. Marketing Manager Jo Nola told SeafoodSource.
The award-winning “Lingo” campaign, launched in 2021, has made the Mowi brand name more memorable by rhyming it with words ’like “tasty” and “quality,” according to Nola.
Plus, the Lingo campaign has reached more than two-thirds of U.K. households, driving brand awareness and purchasing consideration, Nola said.
The campaign includes videos and copy such as “What gives Mowi salmon its quality? Well, it could be the care and attention that we put into raising our fish. It could be the fact that each one is hand-picked for its quality and color. It might be that we prepare each slice and fillet with the utmost expertise … Or perhaps it’s all these things put together. High in omega-3, our salmon is pure enjoyment that doesn’t cost the earth.”
Photo courtesy of Mowi
