��������pk10

Aldi has signed up as the exclusive broadcast sponsor of The Great British Bake Off as Channel 4 launches a campaign promoting the show’s return in 2020. 

The supermarket will sponsor the upcoming eleventh series of Bake Off, as well as Bake Off: An Extra Slice, the festive specials and Junior Bake Off in a deal estimated to be worth about £2m. 

4Sales’ regional team in Manchester brokered the deal with Aldi’s agency McCann UK, which also created sponsorship idents for the brand, centred on a gingerbread family. 

A TV ad, by Channel 4’s in-house agency 4Creative, will break tonight (1 September) at 8pm. Entitled “The gift,” it follows people’s feverish quests for flour, supplies of which ran short during lockdown. 

In the final scene – reminiscent of Hovis’ classic “Boy on the bike” ad from 1973 – a boy on a bicycle saves the day with a bag of flour, heralding the return of baking and the show. 

The campaign will also include social media and radio activity and a poster and print ad featuring a bespoke tea towel, illustrated by Barry Falls and showcasing memorable Bake Off scenes including Ruby’s collapsing vegan cake, a Hollywood handshake and the squirrel.

The film was created by Nick Lindo and Seb Thomas and directed by Dan Chase, while the poster and press ad was created by Scott Taylor and Andy Shrubsole. 

The upcoming Bake Off series will feature comedian and actor Matt Lucas, who will replace Sandi Toksvig as co-host alongside Noel Fielding. Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood will remain as judges. Channel 4 has not given an exact date of the series premiere.

Sean McGinty, marketing director at Aldi UK, said: “The Great British Bake Off is the perfect partner for Aldi. The ‘feel-good’ show appeals to all ages, and underpins Aldi’s quality positioning and light-hearted tone.”

Series 10 of Bake Off was the second-biggest series of 2019 for young viewers across all channels, attracting a 60.1% share of Channel 4’s key demographic of 16- to 34-year-olds.

The series drew an average audience of nine million viewers per episode and a 35.6% share of the viewing audience – peaking at 9.8m and a 37.6% share for the final episode, according to the broadcaster. 

Zaid Al-Qassab, chief marketing officer of Channel 4, added: “This year’s Great British Bake Off campaign highlights that baking is about so much more than sustenance – it’s a gift. The film illustrates the nation’s joyous love of baking inspired by our shared experience of lockdown in a typically Channel 4 way and we hope it gets viewers as excited as we are for the return of our biggest show.”