A series of adverts that urge shoppers to ‘ban the can’ has sparked a behind-the-scenes row between packaging manufacturers and New Covent Garden Food Company (NCGFC).
The ads, which appeared in a number of colour magazines and Sunday supplements in January and February, promote the company’s fresh soup in cartons as part of its recently launched Food As It Should Be campaign. A large, wild mushroom endorses the message ‘Cans are for fizzy drinks, not soups’ and the ads go on to encourage shoppers to ‘Say goodbye to the tin opener and say hello to the wonderful world of soup in a carton’
But the implication that canned soup is less healthy, has sparked a storm of protest from ambient rivals.
Tony Woods, director of the Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association, said it had given “a very firm” response. “Our understanding is that they are not going to continue with the campaign, but there were some adverts that, because of lead times, could not be withdrawn.”
NCGFC confirmed that Ban the Can ads would not run beyond March, but denied that it had bowed to pressure.
Nigel Parrott, group marketing director, said: “The can was invented years ago before the War as a way of preserving food [but] there is big compromise in the foods you get from a can in terms of the quality.”
Hugh Burkitt, chief executive of The Marketing Society said such aggressive advertising was rare in the food industry, although it worked well in other sectors, so long as the veracity of any claim could be proved.
“The simple rule is that the brand or category you’re attacking should be bigger and more famous than you so you leverage yourself up to their level. If you were Heinz it would be very unwise to get into a slanging match and the draw attention of your consumers to a smaller, upstart brand.”