Do our burgers come from bears? Welsh Lamb promotional campaign is an online hit in Sweden

An innovative online marketing campaign for Welsh Lamb has got Swedish consumers talking about the quality and provenance of their food.

During the autumn, Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) has invested in online promotions to boost sales in the Scandinavian market. A video, featuring Swedish schoolchildren talking about where they think their meat comes from, has now been viewed nearly 370,000 times on YouTube.

One of the children asks if burgers are made from bears, while others suggest that their meat might come from nuts, sharks or pandas! The children emphasise how important it is for farmers to treat their animals well, and the video ends by linking to Welsh sheep farmers’ responsible and sustainable practices.

“The video has really taken off!” said Alex James, HCC’s Export Development Executive. “Many children – and indeed adults – don’t think about where meat comes from. Being more aware of how animals are farmed helps consumers to make informed decisions.

“Our message is that Welsh Lamb, with its protected PGI status and its connection to our outstanding environment and sustainable farming practices, is a premium product in which consumers can have confidence. This is a fun and engaging way of getting that message across,” he explained.

“Welsh Lamb is quite a new product in the Swedish market, so promoting it online is an innovative and cost-effective way to reach new customers,” added Alex. “In addition to the video, HCC has a Swedish-language website, we’ve undertaken promotions on social media including a successful online auction of a whole lamb earlier this year, and have worked with chefs and the ‘AirDine’ website to increase awareness of PGI Welsh Lamb.”

AirDine is an online service where people can invite others to dine in their homes, in a similar way to the successful ‘Airbnb’ accommodation-sharing concept. HCC sponsored chefs through the AirDine network to use Welsh Lamb in their recipes to raise its profile among Swedish food fans.

The Swedish Welsh Lamb video (with English subtitles) is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPaLvosc3kg