Squeezing success for Primula

The brief

Despite its strong legacy, Primula faced a processed brand image that limited appeal, declining market share in a competitive category, and over-reliance on functional messaging, failing to forge an emotional connection with new consumers.

To overcome these obstacles, Primula engaged Alchemy Media (Harrogate-based media agency) and Powerhouse (Leeds-based content production agency) to create, deliver, and coordinate a multichannel marketing campaign.

The campaign focused on two primary consumer groups. On one hand, women 35+ juggling family and personal time, seeking versatile, quick, and tasty meal solutions. On the other, loyalists 55+, familiar with Primula but requiring a fresh reason to re-engage. Both groups valued versatility, taste, and simplicity, preferring fun, easy meal solutions over complex offerings.

With this in mind, the key objectives were:

• Acquisition: Win over new consumers by challenging preconceptions and inspiring trial.
• Re-engagement: Tempt lapsed customers to rediscover Primula with fresh excitement.
• Retention: Keep existing fans engaged by reinforcing brand love.

The challenges

Of course it didn’t come without its challenges:

We had big ambitions for “Squeeze.” However, this was paired with a tight creative budget, meaning every element, from concept development to final execution, needed to work harder/smarter.

Multi-scene & modular storytelling. We crafted standalone vignettes that could stand strong on their own or flow seamlessly together, making coordination across multiple sets absolutely key. This approach ensured brand coherence while allowing for fully tailored content across platforms. By integrating both photo and video, we struck the perfect balance between product-led and lifestyle-driven narratives, creating a versatile content suite that adapted effortlessly to different formats and audience touchpoints.

As an HFSS product, we also couldn’t reference children, so our focus had to be on showcasing Primula in ways that resonated with family decision-makers.

Finally, it was perfecting the “Squeeze”: Primula is such a divisive product, so making the product look delicious and creamy on camera was critical. Our food styling team worked hard to capture the perfect squeeze, ensuring it looked just as good as it tastes.

Our approach

Alchemy Media, Primula’s long-standing media partner, crafted a regional broadcast-led strategy to maximise media efficiency and impact, despite the dominance of high-spending competitors in the category. Leveraging audience insights and sales data, they designed a campaign that positioned Primula effectively within a cluttered, price-sensitive market.

Powerhouse developed the creative concept “Squeeze”, highlighting Primula’s versatility as a spread, topping, stir-in, or condiment. The campaign focused on joyful, informal, and fun meal occasions, aligning with modern eating habits.

The TV ad served as the campaign’s cornerstone, featuring three relatable scenarios: Student Sarah elevates her post-night-out snack to “Squeeze and Beans”, enjoying Primula Original Cheese on beans on toast as the sun rises; tired parents Phil & Sue unwind with a bowl of “Squeezy Fries”, enhanced by Primula Cheese & Chive; and Eccentric grandma Vera, never without her Primula Cheese & Ham, cheekily squeezes it over her diner burger, declaring, “Mmm… Squeezeburger.”

The advert ends with each of the characters taking that all important bite, showcasing the top 3 skus with the tagline Primula “Don’t ask why, just try,” while the Primula logo takes center stage, cementing the brand as the advert ends.

The concept was designed to extend across multiple touchpoints, ensuring consistent brand messaging and maximum reach. The over 88 production deliverables (including photography and film) spanned across TV, OOH, print, with food-focused single-page ads that reinforced the brand’s personality; paid digital, using targeted ads to drive awareness and purchase intent; social media, encouraging engagement and sharing; and POS materials, strategically placed to capture attention at the point of purchase and drive conversion. This integrated approach ensured the campaign connected with consumers at every stage of their journey, from inspiration to checkout.