Last week, Fage UK began airing its Total+ campaign - four TV adverts designed to demonstrate the “versatility” of its Total Greek Yoghurt range.
It claims the campaign, which is supported on Twitter with the hashtag #TryTotal, shows “how simple it is to incorporate Total into everyday meals by adding +1 +2 +3 or ‘+more’ everyday ingredients,"
For breakfast, for example, Fage suggests adding nectarine, raspberries and honey to its Total Greek yoghurt.
In other videos, it makes suggestions for for brunch, lunch, and post-gym snacks.
"More than a yoghurt"
Speaking with DairyReporter.com, Alison White, head of marketing and communications, Fage UK, said the company hopes the Total+ campaign will demonstrate to British consumers that Total Greek Yoghurt “is so much more than a yoghurt.”
“There is still very much the perception that yoghurt is a one dimensional product, served for breakfast with granola, fruit, honey or cereal,” she said. “This is clearly not the case, especially with Total Greek Yoghurt, which doubles up as a very useful ingredient.”
The "thick and creamy texture" of Greek yogurt makes it "ideal for cooking with" and has the potential to replace higher calorie ingredients, such as cream, mayonnaise, and even butter in baking, White said.
“Unless consumers are made aware of this, they won’t necessarily think about making the swap," she said.
"As the nation becomes even more preoccupied with what they eat, and more consideration is taken by the consumer over product labelling and the health benefits the brands can offer, there is a huge potential for Fage to educate consumers and therefore generate sales.”
Increasing consumption
Fage, which has been importing Greek yoghurt into the UK from plants in Greece for more than 30 years, reported a 25% increase in sales in value and volume terms last year.
Despite the long availability of Greek yoghurt in the UK, many consumers are only just discovering it - arguably as a result of booming demand in the US, where the product now accounts for more than half of all yogurt sales.
While it is yet to take off to the same extent in the UK, momentum is building, according to White.
"It's already starting to happen," she said. "Greek and Greek-style yogurt is still easily the best performing sector, driving the yoghurt category which overall is actually in decline by 0.9," she said, quoting Nielsen data.
"Greek yoghurt is driving the category even more so than Greek-style, which is growing at a rate of 29% compared to Greek-style, which is growing at a rate of 13.3%."
"There is still certainly a great deal of opportunity to increase consumption in the UK, so that ultimately it becomes a staple in household fridges up and down the country," she added.