Aussie Farmers Direct launches new TV ad campaign

Heather McIlvaine

21st Feb 2017

Aussie Farmers Direct has launched a series of television commercials aimed at raising its brand awareness and introducing new products and services to the market. The move is a departure from its usual marketing strategy.

“It’s rare for us to do above-the-line marketing activities, we tend to rely on positive word-of-mouth and digital search,” Jim Cooper, a spokesperson for Aussie Farmers Direct, told Internet Retailing.

“We felt it was a good time to be a bit bolder with our marketing efforts because we’ve been around for quite a while and we have new products and services that some people don’t know about,” he said.

The commercials feature an Aussie mum and dad’s bumbling attempts at being urban farmers, while their tech-savvy kids save the day by ordering online from Aussie Farmers Direct.

In particular, the advertising campaign highlights The General Store, a new digital supermarket for packaged goods, and the Simple & Fresh Dinner Box, a new range of meal kits launched a month ago.

The campaign also features Aussie Farmers Direct’s long-time support for the local dairy industry.

“We hope the campaign will resonate with customers who are looking for great-tasting, healthy food delivered to their door, while supporting our farming community,” Peter Bakker, the marketing director at Aussie Farmers Direct, said.

Aussie Farmers Direct has been ramping up its digital offering in recent months. Since The General Store launched in August 2016, it is now available to customers in Victoria, New South Wales, Canberra and Queensland.

Cooper said the national rollout will continue in Western Australia and South Australia in the coming months.

The retailer has also expanded its range of meal solutions. In addition to its Weight Watchers-approved meal kits, Aussie Farmers Direct now offers the Simple & Fresh Dinner Box. These are designed for families and couples who aren’t actively trying to diet.

According to Cooper, the decision to launch the TV ad campaign has nothing to do with the likely arrival of AmazonFresh in Australia.

“Having another big gorilla join the market will be business as usual for us. We think the nature of our offer will still resonate with a significant portion of the community,” he said.