Astute was appointed to handle the PR for the launch of Beroni, the UK’s first fresh, frozen restaurant-quality pasta brand, which debuted in the freezer aisles of Waitrose in January 2021.
Pre-launch focus on trade publications included coverage in titles including The Grocer, Food & Drink Technology and FMCG Magazine.
Once the Waitrose listing was confirmed, attention turned to national and consumer lifestyle publications. Coverage was achieved in eight national newspapers over the course of two weeks, including the Mail on Sunday and Mail Online, The Times, the Daily Express and the Sunday Mirror, as well as consumer coverage in Woman Magazine with other pieces – including TV coverage – scheduled for February and March 2021.
Regional and local media coverage was also achieved in areas surrounding the Waitrose stores that were stocking the products.
By the end of January, coverage had been achieved in publications with a combined print circulation of 26.1 million; an online readership of 404 million and had achieved an estimated 364k coverage views.
Astute also leads an outreach programme to micro-influencers and bloggers, which has resulted in posts from accounts like Food Review UK, which shared on a review of the pasta on Instagram to its 20.5k followers.