The multi-channel deal was brokered by Hearts & Science as part of the new ‘There’s an Ocado just for you’ campaign.
This year-long partnership launched in print on 3 July when every recipe in Feast — the Guardian’s Saturday food magazine — carried a unique QR code that enabled readers to shop for ingredients directly from the page to the website. Online readers will be able to click straight through via a special link, with the first piece going live on 2 July.
Feast is the Guardian’s weekly 24-page food magazine, packed, say the publishers, with beautiful photography and diverse, delicious recipes from star cooks including Yotam Ottolenghi, Meera Sodha, Thomasina Miers and Felicity Cloake.
The depth of the partnership marks a first for the Guardian and Ocado as it creates a truly shoppable food experience, being genuinely helpful to both Ocado customers and Guardian readers, says the Guardian.
Ocado will own all ad inventory in Feast, both in print and online throughout the year. In addition, there will be special paid content features that will celebrate and explore the diverse range of food culture in Britain, capitalising on Ocado’s range and focusing on key foodie moments from Easter to Eid. The partnership and activation aim to drive brand awareness and direct acquisition.
The partnership will bring to life Ocado’s breadth of offering and is a key part of their plan to build a brand that the UK knows, loves and shops with.
This collaboration follows on from the Ocado-supported new weekly podcast - Comfort Eating with Grace Dent, which sees Feast extend into audio for the first time. Each week features Grace and a celebrity guest such as Rafe Spall, Mae Martin, Nish Kumar and Russell T Davies, talking about the food that sustained them through the most meaningful moments in their lives. Ocado owns all the ad inventory, including a new, bespoke branded segment looking at readers’ Ocado shopping lists. The podcast is editorially independent.
All branded content will be clearly labelled in line with the Guardian’s content funding guidelines.
Adam Foley, director of advertising, Guardian News & Media: “Guardian Advertising at its best complements and enhances our readers’ experience. We’re thrilled to be working with Ocado to help our readers get even more out of our brilliant Feast Magazine and explore diverse, modern cooking more easily than before. I’m really proud that we’ve able to use such a wide range of Guardian products to help Ocado grow their business - and break new ground in the process.”
Tim Lusher, editor Feast, the Guardian: “Feast is all about inspiring new ideas for modern cooking. I’m delighted Ocado is supporting us and making it even easier for readers to try more of our delicious recipes by bringing the ingredients straight to their kitchen.”
Laura Harricks, Chief Customer Officer, Ocado Retail: “Our customers love exploring new ingredients and recipes to cook, that’s why we’re hugely excited to be partnering with the Guardian for a first-of-its-kind media partnership which will bring recipes to life in a unique and easy way. With an unbeatable range of almost 50,000 products – more than any other grocery retailer - including big-name brands, M&S food and drink range and Ocado’s Own-Range- there’s a recipe to tantalise all taste buds on Ocado!”
Garrett O’Reilly, managing director, Hearts & Science: “Ocado’s partnership with the Guardian allows them to build a lasting relationship, giving their customers something exciting, new and genuinely useful. Not only is it engaging foodies through brilliant content across platforms, the considered use of technology means readers can easily order the exact ingredients to recreate the recipes at home. It’s a simple and elegant approach that allows Ocado to reach audiences in a way that’s mutually beneficial.”
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