MindShare
Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles
Britain's Got Talent

Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles set out to find a sponsorship deal that would invigorate the brand in the face of growing public perception that its sweets were old-fashioned and unexciting.

The deal with Britain's Got Talent, Simon Cowell's modern revamp of the classic British talent show, has turned that negative image around.

Across 2007, Rowntree's was the fastest-growing major confectionery brand, increasing consumer value by 23% year on year on 2006.

Rowntree's campaign was inspired by the notion of the "chew challenge", an idea contained in its well-known strapline: "Bet you can't put a Rowntree's Fruit Pastille in your mouth without chewing it".

The problem was how to put this idea of a playful contest back into the minds of children and adults.

The deal with Britain's Got Talent was the perfect vehicle. The weird and wonderful acts performing and competing on the show were a mirror for the fun, playful competition that Rowntree's captured in its idea of the "chew challenge".

The campaign achieved immediate success, with sales of Fruit Pastilles increasing by 12% in the week Britain's Got Talent first aired.

Total awareness of the sponsorship was extremely high at 71% and Rowntree's saw clear evidence that its strategy was working, with vast increases in the number of people describing the brand as "playful" and "exciting".

In addition to TV sponsorship, Rowntree's developed interactive pages, accessible via a Fruit Pastilles/Britain's Got Talent red button, where viewers could view exclusive behind-the-scenes clips and win tickets to live shows. Across the series, 1.5 million people accessed the interactive pages.

Rowntree's also created a popular website where users could learn how to wolf-whistle and perform magic tricks.

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