- £20,000 of taxpayers’ money is used to promote Jersey Royals in the UK
- Jersey’s two potato exporters also contribute £20,000 each to the campaign
- The project is undertaken by London-based PR company Phipps
- Should taxpayers’ money be used to promote Jersey Royals?
THE Island spends £20,000 of taxpayers’ money promoting the Jersey Royal potato in the UK through a public-private partnership with farming groups.
In total, the national campaign costs £60,000 with the two big potato exporters, UK-owned Jersey Royal Company and Albert Bartlett, each contributing £20,000.
The remaining £20,000 comes from Jersey Product Promotion Limited, part of Economic Development, whose role is to increase local sales for members of the Genuine Jersey Products Association and to develop export initiatives for Jersey producers.
John Garton, chief executive of Genuine Jersey, co-ordinates the campaign, which is undertaken by London-based PR company Phipps.
He said that the States support the campaign because they own the Jersey Royals brand and name, which together with the potato’s Protected Designation of Origin status, ensures they are unique to Jersey.
This exclusivity, he added, makes the Island’s biggest agricultural export a highly sought-after product.
‘The campaign is a good example of a public-private partnership with the contribution coming from the States because they own the brand and to support the farmers,’ Mr Garton said.
‘This is the campaign to promote the Jersey Royal brand and to get the message across the UK about how special the Jersey Royal is.
‘That then supports Albert Bartlett and Jersey Royal Company going into the supermarkets, and the supermarkets who do their own campaigns around selling of the Jersey Royal.
‘The Jersey marketing campaign underpins Bartlett’s, Jersey Royal Company’s and the supermarkets’ campaigns in the national and regional media, print, radio and television, so the consumer understands how special the Jersey Royal is.’
In addition to securing coverage in the national and regional media, Phipps arranged a live interview between Chris Evans and Visit Jersey’s chief executive Keith Beecham last Thursday. Mr Beecham also appeared on Saturday Kitchen and he was due to appear on Good Morning Britain today.
Mr Garton said: ‘Phipps is a specialist London PR agency which has excellent contacts with food publications and media, and from a marketing point of view the media coverage we are getting this weekend is great at this time of the season.’
- Last month, the JEP launched its Keep Jersey Farming campaign to back the industry.
- Our campaign is not just about buying local; it is about reconnecting the public with a way of life that has defined and influenced local culture and the environment for centuries.
- It will profile farmers, highlight the issues that affect the industry and promote seasonality and provenance.
- Farmers are the custodians of the countryside, which is under threat from competing land uses and over-development.
- They need your support to survive.
