When is a sausage roll not a sausage roll?
They say you should never judge a book by its cover or – in the case of the masterful Greggs PR stunt this week – a sausage by its roll…
We at The Right Agency love nothing more than a Greggs pasty or a custard donut, but it appears that food snobs across the country would rather eat their own summer sandals than venture into one of the blue and yellow adorned bakeries.
So, to launch its new summer menu, which included a number of distinctly non-sausage roll items including vegan wraps and pasta salads, Greggs came up with a plan to hoodwink foodies. It launched a hipster-style deli called Gregory & Gregory (get it?) at a gourmet food festival – complete with classy branding. Visitors to the stand were then asked to give their verdict on the food, on camera, before it was revealed they were eating Greggs. The reactions were priceless.
PR plays a big role in creating a public image for a business – whether it is a mechanical seal manufacturer, a physiotherapy provider or a purveyor of baked goods – but it can also be instrumental in changing perceptions.
It’s unlikely any of those trendy foodies will be buying anything other than a slow roasted tomato and feta pasta salad in Greggs but this might at least get them through the door.
Meantime, us non-food snobs might also try one of the new dishes – as long as we can have a sausage roll on the side…
