The brief
Brand of Brothers has a track record of launching and building well-loved brands in the global ice cream market. Earlier this year, Brand of Brothers appointed Refresh to support the launch of five new frozen product ranges into major UK supermarkets over a short period.
The launches included:
• Halo Top Birthday Cake Tub
• Jimmy’s Iced Coffee Affogato on a Stick
• Reese’s Bites
• Remeo
• Swizzels Squashies
Each product needed to receive meaningful media attention, which was a challenge with so many announcements landing in quick succession.
The key objective was to secure editorial coverage in industry leading publication, The Grocer for each launch, helping raise awareness among supermarket buyers and support retail listings as the products reached shelves nationwide.
Key campaign objectives included:
- Securing editorial coverage in The Grocer for every product launch
- Supporting supermarket listings with timely media coverage
- Raising awareness among grocery buyers and retailers
- Maximising visibility without competing against the client’s own product announcements
5
product launches
5
pieces of coverage in The Grocer
100%
key messages achieved
The campaign
Launching five new products within such a short timeframe presented a unique PR challenge. While each deserved its own moment in the spotlight, approaching the media with multiple product announcements back-to-back risked diminishing interest.
Rather than relying solely on press releases, we adopted a collaborative media relations approach.
Recognising that The Grocer was the sole target due to its readership among buyers across the UK’s major supermarket chains, we opened a direct dialogue with its new products editor. Together, we discussed how best to schedule the announcements so that every launch had the greatest possible opportunity for coverage.
Once photography had been sourced and approved alongside each press release, we built a carefully managed communications schedule that aligned media announcements with supermarket listing dates. This ensured each product received coverage as it became available in stores, maximising relevance for both retailers and consumers.
Our proactive relationship with the editorial team also created additional opportunities beyond the product announcements themselves. By remaining front of mind throughout the campaign, we secured expert commentary from Brand of Brothers within a wider feature exploring trends in the ice cream market, further strengthening the brand’s presence in the sector.
All coverage achieved was earned editorial, with no paid placements used throughout the campaign.
The results
The campaign successfully secured editorial coverage for each of the five product launches in The Grocer, delivering consistent visibility during a busy launch period.
Coverage appeared across multiple channels, including:
• Online news coverage
• Print editorial
• The Grocer’s social media channels
This multi-channel approach ensured the launches reached grocery buyers, retailers and the wider food and drink industry while also giving Brand of Brothers valuable content to share across its own channels.
Alongside the individual product launch coverage, we also secured additional thought leadership through inclusion in a feature on ice cream trends, further positioning Brand of Brothers as an innovative player within the frozen food category.
The campaign demonstrated the value of strategic media planning and strong journalist relationships, successfully turning what could have been five competing announcements into a sustained programme of high-quality editorial coverage.
“We have a real niche in the UK, launching and nurturing well-known brands for the ice cream market. It means we spend a lot of effort supporting the brands we work for. We had such a busy start to the year so we approached Refresh to support us with gaining press coverage for several listings. They knew how to manage the media and we are really pleased with the results. I’d definitely recommend working with Refresh.” Carys Delve, Marketing Manager, Brand of Brothers