Gordons helps Morrisons secure ground-breaking TV sponsorship and advertising deal
Thursday 24th January 2013
Gordons has helped major supermarket group Morrisons seal a ground-breaking deal to combine primetime TV show sponsorship with a high-profile celebrity endorsement and advertising campaign.
The deal means Britain’s fourth-largest food retailer will now become closely identified with popular Geordie duo Ant & Dec. Morrisons will sponsor the pair’s flagship hit ITV programmes Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, starting on February 23, and Britain’s Got Talent, running between April and June.
Morrisons will also fund a major advertising and brand campaign fronted by the former Byker Grove stars, running throughout 2013. This will showcase the organisation’s 5,000 butchers, bakers and fishmongers – staff with traditional skills that set it apart from other UK supermarkets.
Andy Brian, partner in Gordons’ commercial contracts team, advised Morrisons on the deal, in which its partners were ITV, FreMantle Media Enterprises, Syco and James Grant Group.
Rebecca Singleton, marketing director at Morrisons, said: “Gordons were set a demanding timescale, as we needed to have the deal agreed before a planned PR launch. They did a brilliant job, achieving this despite having to overcome significant challenges and whilst preserving some key restrictions, which were very important for us.”
Gordons has been principal legal adviser to Morrisons, which has almost 500 stores and employs 132,000 staff across the UK, for more than 40 years.
Andy said: “I was delighted to work on the deal, which is of huge importance to the client. For obvious reasons, the whole matter had to be kept highly confidential until it was over the line and could be announced publicly.
“No other supermarket prepares food in-store the traditional way, and Morrisons understandably want to promote this. This campaign will project Morrisons into the homes of millions of potential new customers every Saturday night and highlight the skills shoppers simply can’t find in other supermarkets. We certainly wish Morrisons every success with this innovative venture.”