Sainsbury's marketing strategy was designed to get people off the shopping treadmill and into more adventurous eating. Under the strapline "Try Something New Today" - launched in September 2005 - the store and spokesperson Jamie Oliver aimed to reinvigorate the nations' kitchens with more interesting meals. The message had to stand out from rivals' relentless focus on every day low prices. Sainsbury's wanted to convey that not only can it supply great quality at good prices but also that it's the only store offering such a wide range of useful ideas.

The challenge was to make sure the message stood out from rivals' relentless focus on every day low prices. Sainsbury's wants to convey that not only can it supply great quality at good prices but also that it's the only store offering such a wide range of useful ideas. TV was used to highlight the brand's unique range of new food ideas.

TV's role was to develop consumers' ideas of what Sainsbury's means to them. The medium was used to show great ideas, fresh, tasty and healthy food, a vital element of the Sainsbury's brand. In order to reach as many people as possible the TV message was transmitted across all channels and in all dayparts, with a slight skew towards ITV and multichannel. A mix of 40, 30 and 20 second ads were used as part of a six week rolling brand campaign.

Mixing airtime and sponsorship has delivered significant rewards for Sainsbury's. TNS Superpanel data shows how the retail giant increased its market share in 2006. In the 12 weeks to December 4 2005, Sainsbury had 15.8% of the market but a year later had increased its share for the same period to 16.0%, a major boost to the bottom line. Confidential econometric data shows that TV advertising has made a significant contribution to this result with sponsorship providing an additional boost to the sales curve.

Sainsbury's used TV as a way to launch their new image to a mass audience; they also undertook sponsorship of ITV Drama Premieres, a relationship that started in Spring 2005. This sponsorship allowed them to put their "The Try Something New Today" message out at 9pm on Sunday nights, the peak viewing time for families on the UK's largest commercial station.