For immediate release: Charlie Bigham’s has recorded an explosive uplift in sales, more than doubling wider category growth, as they continue to expand targeting consumers in the North through TV advertising.
Charlie Bigham’s integrated advertising campaign returns this week as part of a £1.65 million media investment across the first two months of the year. The campaign spans TV, radio, out-of-home (OOH), and broadcaster video on demand.
The premium pre-prepared meals brand has traditionally targeted their TV advertising to London and the South. Their recent expansion to include the North further reflects their appetite to reach new audiences and build their reputation as a trusted national brand.
The TV mapping reflects the broader reach of the national radio campaign, while the OOH advertising push, which launched with an initial burst in October/November, primarily focuses on London and surrounding areas.
Charlie Bigham’s drive to reach new audiences has sparked a wave of fresh growth for the brand. Charlie Bigham’s has seen sales surge 14.7% year-on-year*, reflecting a 6.7% uplift compared to wider growth across the category, according to Kantar data.
The 231,000 newly acquired shoppers would fill the O2 – one of the largest indoor venues in the UK – 11.5 times over.
With radio spots voiced by Charlie Bigham himself, alongside well-known author, TV presenter and comedian, Richard Osman, the 30 second narration spotlights the brand’s top-selling dishes and their unique recipes across 275 radio stations in the UK.
A two-week out-of-home (OOH) campaign across 220 rail and underground locations in the UK further complements the radio activity. These locations were chosen to capitalise on moments with high dwell time and high frequency – primarily targeting people as they wait for transport options on their daily commutes.
These locations aim to place the brand’s messaging in front of consumers as they consider their evening meal. This builds on the successful first wave of ads, initially launched in October/November.
The new creative features the brand’s founder, Charlie Bigham, whose dedication and passion for delicious food are at the heart of the brand’s messaging. The new OOH ads include stills showing Charlie serving up the food in a warm and homely environment, creating relevance for consumers with messaging designed to link to specific occasions and moments in their lives.
Designed to challenge the preconceptions of the ready meal category the creative further highlights its founder’s food philosophy and commitment to fresh, quality handmade food in every single dish, emphasising his commitment to quality food like consumers would make at home.
This activity dovetails with the brand’s ongoing TV and BVOD campaign, currently in its second three-week burst of 2025 and featuring the brand’s established TVC asset. Airing across Channel 4, with slots during Gogglebox, Great Pottery Throwdown and Sunday Brunch.
The ad, in illustration format, tells the story of how the company started 28 years ago, where Charlie’s travels in a campervan across Europe and Asia inspired him to create pre-prepared meals with fresh, high quality ingredients at the heart, which remains core to the business today.
Charlie Bigham’s CEO, Patrick Cairns, said: “It’s been a strong year of performance for the brand, as shown by the significant uplift in sales over the last 12 months, which has seen Charlie Bigham’s achieve more than double the growth seen across the wider category In this period, we’ve also expanded our campaign reach to target consumers in the North of the country for the first time as we continue our investment in becoming a truly national brand.
“This integrated campaign across OOH, radio and TV marks another pivotal step in our mission to become the first choice for those seeking an alternative to cooking from scratch, and who better to bring it to life than our founder himself, right at the heart of the creative.
“With Charlie’s authentic story, amplified by Richard Osman’s involvement as a recognisable voice and household name, we’re poised to further strengthen our brand narrative and positioning, with a view to extending our category share.”
The campaign was created by Charlie Bigham’s with cross-agency support, including agency VCCP London with media planning and buying led by Electric Glue. Charlie Bigham’s full agency roster includes social agency Syrup and PR agency Sunny Side Up.
