I was recently delighted to find myself awarded one of The Grocer’s 2021 Next Gen Awards, listed alongside some hugely talented faces in the world of FMCG as one of the ‘next generation of grocery leaders’. I was given this honour for, as The Grocer put it, “helping to coin the phrase plant-based”, in particular through the work I have done across consumer, trade and digital channels for Alpro, the UK’s best-selling plant-based brand. Now, while this is a horn I fully plan to toot for a fair while to come, it has to be said that the award is no doubt down to our CEO Nikki writing such a cracking entry on my behalf – which talked a lot about the work we’ve done with the incredible team at Alpro over the past 20 years to put plant-based well and truly on the map. That’s right, plant-based hasn’t been catapulted into the mainstream overnight. Far from it in fact. It’s been a long old journey to make plant-based a ‘thing’ – and nobody knows that better than our client Alpro, and us here at R&T. From creating ‘The Year of Wellbeing’ in 2008 – which featured 365 days of ‘healthy decisions’ to move Alpro from a ‘free from’ brand for the dairy intolerant to a more universally appealing concept of ‘wellbeing’ – to publishing the first-ever Plant-Based Factfile with The Grocer and launching the brand’s UK social media channels in 2010. From inspiring people to dine ‘al desko’ at breakfast with our high-impact DeskFest campaign in 2012, to sunrise raving with the Cereal Killers and DJ Yoda in 2015. From getting a lukewarm response when pitching “that soya brand” to national media, to landing coverage week after week in the likes of The Sun, Daily Mail and the Metro. And we take great pride in having helped to take Alpro from also being perceived as “that soya brand” among trade media, to being crowned The Grocer’s Brand of the Year in 2016. We also have Alpro to thank for having the vision and courage to launch the first Plant Power Day in 2018, working closely with our superbly creative team – and for saying ‘hell yes’ when we suggested we launch the world’s first fully-edible plant-based takeaway to mark Plant Power Day 2.0 in 2019. Now here we are in 2021, reflecting on a year that saw us unveil a cheeky plant-based parody of 2010’s iconic ‘Make Mine Milk’ campaign – sparking a huge uplift in sales of Alpro’s Oat drink range – and flying the flag for the original plant-based powerhouse, soya (with a little help from Adam Peaty and Tyrone Mings, no less), for Alpro’s ‘Plant-Based for Protein Lovers’ campaign. And all of this comes while Alpro is celebrating year after year of double-digit growth, and pulling in 2.2 million new households each year. And we’ve been there every step of the way. But that’s what happens when you find the right PR partner – one that invests as heavily in your business as you do, shares your passion and can grow with you for the long-term. Over time, you reach a point where both parties intuitively know where the other is heading, what each other wants to achieve, and how you can both fulfil your true potential – and you work hand-in-hand to make it happen. I’m lucky to have played a role in a huge success story like Alpro, and we have many more in the pipeline. It’s what we do. So, if you’re interested in creating a bit of plant-based-style magic with R&T, you know where to come.
We have been awarded the PRCA Gold CMS Award for achieving CMS certification for 17 years of continued excellence. The Communications Management Standard (CMS) is awarded by the PRCA (Public Relations and Communications Association) to companies who demonstrate operational excellence. We are audited annually and scored on nine core areas… Read more
We can’t lie – it’s been a great start to 2023. And now we’re almost halfway through the year, we wanted to fill you in on what’s been keeping us busy. We’ve had plenty to celebrate over the last couple of months: amazing new clients, incredible award wins… a brand-spanking-new… Read more
I’m going to kick this off with a good ol’ cliché, because that’s what all decent blogs do: in a world that’s changing at a rapid pace, it’s no surprise that influencer marketing is moving just as quickly. Read more
We’re
excited to announce the launch of our client Alpro’s ‘In It Together’ Fund,
which has been set up to provide immediate financial aid to independent coffee
shops who may be struggling amidst the UK’s current lockdown.
Leading
the charge with £200,000 donation, Alpro has already been overwhelmed by the
response – with more than 700 applications received within hours of the fund
going live.
This
means that there are still hundreds of businesses out there in need of help,
which is why Alpro is now calling on businesses throughout the industry to donate
whatever they can to ensure the fund can reach as many local coffee shops as
possible.
In
order to do our bit, we’ve been helping Alpro bring the concept to life –
including the creation of an ‘In It Together’ brand identity to give the fund a
clear visual personality to stand out across all channels.
We’re
also doing all we can to raise awareness and galvanise brands and suppliers to
get involved – including nabbing a slot in The Grocer’s weekly newsletter
calling on brands to donate, and running a targeted LinkedIn advertising
campaign.
Visit
the ‘In It Together’ website for more information on the fund, including how to
donate today: https://www.in-together.org/.
We have been awarded the PRCA Gold CMS Award for achieving CMS certification for 17 years of continued excellence. The Communications Management Standard (CMS) is awarded by the PRCA (Public Relations and Communications Association) to companies who demonstrate operational excellence. We are audited annually and scored on nine core areas… Read more
We can’t lie – it’s been a great start to 2023. And now we’re almost halfway through the year, we wanted to fill you in on what’s been keeping us busy. We’ve had plenty to celebrate over the last couple of months: amazing new clients, incredible award wins… a brand-spanking-new… Read more
I’m going to kick this off with a good ol’ cliché, because that’s what all decent blogs do: in a world that’s changing at a rapid pace, it’s no surprise that influencer marketing is moving just as quickly. Read more
Food and drink PR
specialist Richmond & Towers has been appointed by Gathered Foods to launch
the Good Catch brand into Tesco stores across the UK, and put the company’s
plant-based seafood range on the map.
The announcement
follows hot off the heels of a hugely successful year for R&T, which saw
The Grocer magazine label the entirely edible
takeaway
the team created for plant-based market leader and long-standing client Alpro
as “the top food and drink PR stunt of 2019”.
Other client wins for R&T in 2019 included G’s Fresh, Pukka and beauty brand Cetaphil.
R&T’s answer to
Gathered Foods’ brief for Good Catch includes a high-impact PR launch
activation to hit the headlines, as well as a year-round programme of media
relations, content creation, influencer outreach and experiential. All activity
will fall under the banner ‘SeaFood Differently’, designed to encourage UK
consumers to wake up to the health and environmental benefits of plant-based
seafood.
R&T’s CEO Nikki Thomson
explains: “We’re delighted to be given the opportunity to help Good Catch
capitalise on the soaring popularity of plant-based eating in the UK right now.
This is a sector that we know inside out, with more than 20 years of experience
under our belt helping Alpro to achieve its current market leadership status.
We’ve crafted a bold, disruptive and creative campaign to really make an impact
for Good Catch at launch, and drive rate of sale, and we can’t wait to get
started.”
Gathered Foods’ Sr.
Vice President of Marketing & Communications, Scott Simons says: “When we
saw R&T’s response to our brief the decision of which agency to appoint was
easy. Their approach demonstrated creativity, strategic thinking and a clear
understanding of the fast-growing plant-based category, and they have the
experience and expertise we need to ensure a successful UK launch for Good
Catch.”
The account will be
handled by R&T’s food and drink division.
We have been awarded the PRCA Gold CMS Award for achieving CMS certification for 17 years of continued excellence. The Communications Management Standard (CMS) is awarded by the PRCA (Public Relations and Communications Association) to companies who demonstrate operational excellence. We are audited annually and scored on nine core areas… Read more
We can’t lie – it’s been a great start to 2023. And now we’re almost halfway through the year, we wanted to fill you in on what’s been keeping us busy. We’ve had plenty to celebrate over the last couple of months: amazing new clients, incredible award wins… a brand-spanking-new… Read more
I’m going to kick this off with a good ol’ cliché, because that’s what all decent blogs do: in a world that’s changing at a rapid pace, it’s no surprise that influencer marketing is moving just as quickly. Read more