Walkers ‘Support Local’

To celebrate the launch of the new Walkers ‘Support Local’ campaign, VCCP London launched their new TV advert featuring one of the selected restaurant owners as a key cast member: Mr Khan from The Radhuni, Edinburgh. The activity, which supports over 3,000 local restaurants recruited by TLC UK Marketing, includes limited-edition, flavours and is expected to help pump over £2m back into the hospitality industry. The humorous TV advert launches as part as part of an integrated TV, OOH and digital campaign running throughout September and October.

The new limited-edition range comprises delicious crunch-sized versions of the nation’s most-loved cuisines, inspired by four standout local restuarants. Every packet of Walkers Local Taste Icons directs shoppers to walkers.co.uk/local where they can search for their local restaurant and claim £5 off using a QR code voucher. The new flavours include:

• Madras Curry – inspired by The Radhuni, Edinburgh
• Thai Green Curry – inspired by Mantra Thai Dining, Newcastle
• Fish & Chips – inspired by The Wetherby Whaler
• Chicken Burrito – inspired by Yucca, London

We all have that special local restaurant that seems like our very own secret little place. Mark Orbine, Executive Creative Director at VCCP

Fernando Kahane, Walkers Senior Marketing Director at PepsiCo, states: “It’s great to be able to support local restaurants following a challenging 18 months for the hospitality sector. The latest campaign from Walkers aims to drive footfall to restaurants via an engaging and unmissable multi-channel activiation which will help support local businesses, especially after they have been there to help us during the pandemic.”

“We’ve seen a huge rise in consumers wanting to support and give back to their local communities, and Local Taste Icons helps brings this to life. We continue to evolve our Walkers campaigns and support the nation’s love for the brand so this year we have continued to celebrate taste and quality but also local businesses following the pandemic”, Kahane continues.

Mark Orbine, Executive Creative Director at VCCP, says: “We all have that special local restaurant that seems like our very own secret little place. Only we know that it does the best authentic meal with a special recipe handed down over 20 generations. A lot of these restaurants have worked hard to be there for us over the past year and a half, so now is the time to support and champion these places we love so much. What better way than to encourage the nation with £5 off thousands of local restaurants and showcasing some of their dishes with limited-edition flavours.”

The brand collaborated with Google to develop geo-targeted YouTube bumpers, with regional dialects to engage consumers on a local level, and a guide to support local restaurants improve their digital presence. Ant Hill, Head of Creative Works UKI at Google, comments: "We are proud to work with Walkers to encourage all 3,000 participating restaurants to add key details such as opening times, photos and menu items to their Google My Business profile. We hope that giving them the chance to showcase the best of what they have to offer, they can future-proof their businesses. We are excited to see this initiative come to life over the coming weeks." 

Walkers also provided restaurants with free point of sale kits (bunting, posters and window stickers) and digital assets to be leveraged on their own social media channels to drive footfall and communicate their participation in the £5 off promotion.