Gnome Rangers: putting a new kids’ food brand on the trade media menu

When it comes to feeding children, parents are constantly balancing what’s good for them with what they’ll actually eat. Gnome Rangers Tomato Ketchup was created to make that choice easier: healthier food children can get excited about, with some of the heavy lifting already done for parents. 

Founded by Louise Holland, co-CEO of the Jamie Oliver Group, the brand launched its first product – Gnome Rangers Tomato Ketchup developed alongside The Foraging Fox and made using surplus tomatoes - exclusively with Ocado. 

But the mission goes beyond what’s inside the bottle. Each product introduces children to Gnomeland - a playful world of characters, animations, songs and activities designed to get them more interested in food. From September, the Gnome Rangers will also appear in Jamie Oliver’s 10 Skills programme, delivered in primary schools nationwide. 

What we did 

Big Top was brought in to support the product’s launch through a focused trade PR campaign. across food and beverage, licensing and animation …  

Our aim was to introduce Gnome Rangers to the food and grocery industry, clearly communicating the commercial opportunity while bringing together the different strands that made the launch newsworthy: 

• A new brand created by an experienced food industry leader 

• A first product developed with The Foraging Fox 

• The use of surplus tomatoes 

• An exclusive retail launch with Ocado 

• A unique licensing proposition with product arriving before the animated TV series  

• A playful world designed to engage children beyond the product itself 

• A connection with Jamie Oliver’s nationwide schools programme 

We developed the launch story, positioned the brand for the trade press and carried out targeted media outreach - giving journalists everything they needed to understand both the business proposition and the bigger mission behind it. 

The results 

The campaign successfully put Gnome Rangers Tomato Ketchup in front of one of its most important audiences at launch, securing: 

• 17 pieces of coverage, including The Grocer, the UK’s leading food and drink trade publication 

• 1.9 million combined monthly website visits across featured publications  

• 1.1 million combined monthly unique visitors 

• 276 hours of earned audience attention 

• Valuable third-party credibility for a completely new brand entering a competitive category 

For an emerging brand, coverage in The Grocer is more than a nice headline. It introduces the product to retailers, buyers, suppliers and industry decision-makers - and gives the launch an independent stamp of credibility. 

Definitely a story that earned its place on the top shelf.