Fisherman’s Friend tackles winter with return to TV

Fisherman’s Friend is going back on TV with the return of its successful "Whatever the Day Throws at You" sponsorship campaign featuring the brand’s hardy fisherman.

The iconic lozenge is returning to the small screen with a re-run of six amusing 5- and 10-second creatives as lead sponsor of Channel 5’s Every Day Heroes series of programming across its main channel, as well as on 5 Action and 5 Star.

The campaign will also see Fisherman’s Friend supporting Channel 5’s daily weather reports, with the first burst of the campaign – running between now and Christmas – estimated to reach more than 22 million UK adults.

All six creatives feature scenarios that aim to poke fun at the challenges of the winter season, with taglines including "helping Britain through the winter".

The campaign comes as Fisherman’s Friend is gearing up for another season of high demand following the nation’s return to more normal patterns of behaviour, including the return for many to the physical workplace.

“The past two years have been a rollercoaster for the medicated confectionery sector. Relentless lockdowns undeniably dented growth in our category, as people simply weren’t socialising – leading to a dramatic fall in the incidences of cold and flu, and a subsequent fall in demand for products relieving cold and flu symptoms,” explains Jon R White, Regional Business Manager for Fisherman’s Friend in the UK. “But now the picture is very different, as pandemic concerns lessen and many consumers are clearly eager to return to a level of normality.

“As a result, we are seeing our category bouncing back, with Fisherman’s Friend alone recording a +26.1 per cent increase in volume over the first three months of the last winter season across all channels , posting volume increases of +24.9 per cent in multiple grocery and +15.7 per cent in impulse & convenience. We also saw a value growth of +28.6 per cent between January and March 2022, including a +12.7 per cent value sales growth in multiple grocery which signals a clear return towards pre-Covid levels.

“As such, it felt like the perfect time to get our brand back in front of viewers with the return of our popular ‘Whatever the Day Throws at You’ campaign, which offers viewers some humorous and light-hearted relief as we head into winter, whilst reinforcing that Fisherman’s Friend can help relieve the symptoms of cold and flu.”

In addition to its campaign, Fisherman’s Friend will be supporting convenience retailers this winter with the reintroduction of its popular 80p price marked packs.