Premium ready meal brand Charlie Bigham’s is looking to grow its sales in the North of England through a new advertising campaign that is part of a £1.65m 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 brand has traditionally targeted its TV advertising to London and the South. The recent expansion to include the North reflects its mission to reach new audiences and build its 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 fresh growth for the brand. It has seen sales climb 14.7% year-on-year, reflecting a 6.7% uplift compared to wider growth across the category [Kantar data].
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 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.
This 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. It is airing across Channel 4, with slots during Gogglebox, Great Pottery Throwdown and Sunday Brunch.
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.”
