Sharwood's launches first TV advert in five years

Sharwood’s is heading back to UK TV screens for the first time in over five years. As part of a £1m campaign, the brand will showcase that through Sharwood’s Indian range, consumers can be transported on a taste adventure inspired by modern day India’s culture, traditions, flavours and colours.

Launching from the 8th March for three months, the TV advert from brand owner, Premier Foods, aims to bring younger shoppers into a category that traditionally is most popular with those aged 45 years and older¹.

Andrey Sokirkin, brand director for cooking sauces and accompaniments at Premier Foods, comments: “For the last few years, Sharwood’s has been on a journey of modernising Indian cuisine. While maintaining high quality standards on our core range, we have also brought innovative products to market that help shoppers enjoy Indian food in new ways. At a time when more people are cooking and experimenting at home, our vegetable side dishes, starters and Sharwood’s wrap kits have been well-received. As a result, the brand attracted an additional 3.8m shoppers last year versus 2019².

“Our new TV campaign will be the next step towards modernising Indian meals further, bringing the vibrant and colourful flavour inspiration of India to consumers in a fresh and engaging way, while re-establishing Sharwood’s as a contemporary, authentic brand”.

The TV campaign is ideally timed to capitalise on the growing number of people who have spread their wings in regards to cooking at home during lockdown, with many trying to recreate restaurant favourites. This has contributed to impressive growth of +16.4%³ for the cooking sauces and accompaniments category, owing to existing shoppers purchasing these types of products more frequently, and a large number of new consumers buying into them.

Sokirkin continues: “Over the past year, the importance of a great tasting meal has become more significant than ever, with mealtimes now a special occasion for many households. The advert aims to attract younger shoppers and generate that sense of excitement by bringing the vibrant and colourful flavour inspiration of India to consumers. We’re perfectly positioned to do just this, as an authentic brand that has been bringing great flavours from around the world to UK homes since 1889.”

Marking the brand’s return to television, the advert transitions between a man cooking a Sharwood’s curry in a British kitchen, and food shots from modern India that inspire Sharwood’s recipes. It follows the journey as the character sets about making a curry with Sharwood’s Butter Chicken sauce, showcasing the brand’s complete  Indian meal solutions as curry, rice, poppadoms, naan bread and a touch of Sharwood’s Mango Chutney are enjoyed, before closing with the tagline, ‘Adventures in flavour since 1889’.

^{1 65.4% of Indian CSKA in L52W were 45+ years old
2 Kantar Worldpanel, L26W to 4th Oct 2020
3 IRI Groceries, L26W RSV, data to 2nd Jan 2021}