How your brand can benefit from the ‘Bake Off’ effect
A new series of the Great British Bake Off has returned to our screens and with it comes a great opportunity for brands to increase their profile, their brand reach and sales. Last years series averaged just under 13 million viewers which proves there is a strong interest in the craft and hobby sector.
The show is a fantastic opportunity for brands to jump on this baking bandwagon but remember that the BBC has strict rules on using its intellectual property when not licensed to do so. If you think creatively though there are chances for many brands to capture the theme and emotion of the series to maximise sales and boost their profile.
Here are some ideas to boost your reach and influence for your brand and your products:
Join the #GBBO and #BakeOff conversations
Between the 2014 and 2015 series, the use of #GBBO on Twitter increased by 217%, and this is only set to continue this year. The first episode of this new series saw that 60% of the Tweets from 85,172 unique authors were positive and of those Tweets, 20% were in admiration of the return of the series. Tweets about The Great British Bake Off accounted for 68.6% share of Twitter TV conversation for that day!! It was the start of the programme, which resulted in 4,523 Tweets in one single minute to show the excitement of the return of Britain’s favourite baking show!
Brands must join this conversation on Twitter, use the hashtags and run parallel, complimentary campaigns that reflect the sentiment and excitement of the programme among its audience. You should also think about spending money on promoting tweets, posts and pictures across social media platforms too which will increase the exposure amongst the online noise.
User generated content
With boasts of being “best baker” peaking among friends, colleagues and families, brands can expand this conversation into a social media led competition. Invite consumers to share pictures of their best bake or send in their magic recipes, with one winner being announced in line with each week’s episode. This is organic material for a website and provides great social media content too.
Experience competitions
The Great British Bake Off is not just a chance to increase sales of baking products, but provides brands with an opportunity to reach a target audience which is aligned with the show’s viewers. Hosting competitions to win baking lessons or afternoon tea experiences can change consumer behaviour by offering them something additional to the product in question. Using the “Bake Off hype” to maximise interest in such campaigns will promote the product to a larger audience.
Partner with an Influencer
Teaming up with well-known individuals who have a connection to the baking world is guaranteed to be of interest to both the consumer and the celebrity, who will also be looking to piggyback off the series’ popularity. Think about how an influencer could blog after each show, with mentions of your brand and products, or how they could tweet in the show with links to your brand.
It’s not just about the baking
The opportunities for brand exposure beyond cooking related products are widespread and, often, not immediately obvious. In last years series, a jacket worn by Mary Berry sold out within the hour long show; brands with similar items did well to quickly join the buzz and invest in ways to promote their products whilst the weekly buzz peaked. You should consider how their product offering could be reflected in the wider show, from fashion, to home décor to horticultural features.
About Grey Sergeant
Grey Sergeant is a PR & Marketing Communications consultancy that specialises in public relations, social media, digital marketing and event management. To see how we can help you brand please contact michael.oconnor@greysergeant.com
