Mr Kipling: Still ‘Exceedingly Good’ at Marketing

Premier Foods has mocked suggestions that Mr Kipling will drop its “exceedingly good” strapline …

Mr Kipling is one of the UK’s best-known and beloved brands. For decades it has held onto its place in the pantheon of classic British brands and across the country. Virtually everyone will be familiar with its timeless strapline, in which it promises to purvey “exceedingly good” cakes. As a result, rumours in recent days that owner Premier Foods might be about to drop the famous slogan have caused a stir.

In an interview with the Telegraph, Premier Foods chief executive Gavin Darby neither confirmed nor denied that the strapline might disappear in an upcoming revamp of the brand’s marketing strategy. Asked if the slogan might go, he said it was “possible” that it could be dropped when the new marketing campaign took effect.

Cake is the priority for Premier this year, Mr Darby confirmed, since the category has suffered more than others during the firm’s financial struggles. Little has been invested in advertising and, in the case of huge brands like Mr Kipling, it is easy to see how the popularity of the brand might even suggest that products barely need to be marketed. But it makes sense that reinvestment should be on the cards – though the suggestion that “exceedingly good cakes” could be removed has been met with opposition.

Quoted in Marketing Magazine, Simon Ward, chief executive of the branding consultancy Holmes and Marchant, said it would be “foolish” to forget a word with “long standing, hard won and powerful equity”.

Fortunately, today (March 12th) Premier has taken the opportunity to reassure brand fans that the strapline is likely to remain. In an advert running in the Metro newspaper, it says “Mr Kipling doesn’t do rumours, but he does make exceedingly good cakes”.

The company has managed to turn a potential PR storm into a marketing victory – seizing the opportunity to reassert its reputation and gain extra publicity for a slogan it has underused in recent months. This traditionalist stance is likely to please Mr Kipling’s loyal customers and help the classic brand retain its strong position in a competitive sector.