For over seven decades, Jammie Dodgers have held a special place in the nation’s hearts as a British biscuit icon.
Two round shortbread biscuits, a squishy jammy centre, and a cheeky heart-shaped design made them the red-packaged ‘rebels’ of the biscuit aisle.
But the much-loved treat risked becoming a relic of childhood nostalgia. While parents remembered the biscuits fondly, the brand no longer felt relevant to ‘modern’ families.
Enter the ‘Jam-packed with Mischief’ campaign, crafted in partnership with McCann. Through playful disruption across TV, PR, social, in-store and a few cheeky collaborations, Jammie Dodgers’ mischievous energy was revived.
And what followed was a masterclass in effectiveness.
This feature forms part of Effectiveness Well Told, a week-long focus series in partnership with McCann, exploring how effectiveness gives creativity its power – and what that really means for brands looking to grow.
Reviving a classic
Jammie Dodgers’ roots stretch back to the 1950s, inspired by ‘Roger the Dodger’, a character from the classic children’s comic, The Beano.
The brand’s mischievous personality and cartoon-inspired packaging also come from its comic book origins, which made it a standout among traditional biscuits like Digestives and Rich Teas.
Despite strong consumer recognition, 10 years without advertising meant Jammie Dodgers had fallen to the lowest level of spontaneous awareness in the category.
Its once-iconic energy had dulled as lack of investment had left Jammie Dodgers ‘stuck in the past’ and attempts to expand into chocolate and toffee flavours hadn’t taken off.
The solution? Lean into the jam. McCann’s research revealed consumers loved the original jam filling. In fact, they wanted more of it, right to the edges. But the product alone wasn’t enough.
The brand needed to feel contemporary, relevant, and, above all, mischievous in a way that brought parents and children together.
The insights from McCann’s research was simple: whilst parents cherished Jammie Dodgers’ mischievous personality, they didn’t want to encourage their kids to get themselves into trouble.
And today’s parents wanted to share those playful moments with their kids, not just act as the ‘fun police’ as portrayed back in the Beano days. By bringing parents and children together in mischief, McCann realised it could modernise Jammie Dodgers’ brand and make it feel relevant.
The brand idea, ‘Never grow up’, became the north star and united the brand’s inclusive ‘forever young spirit’ with its ‘good-hearted disruptive’ energy. It formed part of the strategy to drive a perceptual shift from dated and nostalgic to current and progressive.
The campaign tagline, ‘Jam-packed with Mischief’, unleashed the brand idea and combined a cheeky sense of disruption with warmth and family fun.
The first TVC, which landed Jammie Dodgers back on our screens after a decade, captured this perfectly.
With a pumping Chemical Brothers track and mock-hero shoot style, the ad was designed to grab the attention of parents aged five to nine.
The 30” ad made a splash, featuring two sisters armed with super-soakers who turn a family BBQ into chaos, only to meet their mischievous match in their mum and a ‘gangsta’ granny.
After two years of social media inactivity, McCann helped to revive the brand’s online presence by leaning into its British icon status, injecting a dose of mischief into fellow national icons and perfectly curated feeds.
In-store, the campaign was brought to life with strong touchpoints and shopper activity promoting a holiday prize, ensuring standout across major grocery multiples.
A lesson in mischief
Already with an ambitious target to increase value sales in year one, the campaign exceeded expectations – soaring by +8% over target.
That growth was driven by a 16.9% leap in household penetration, which increased from 25% to 28.6%. In one year, the campaign achieved 50% of the penetration growth secured in the previous five years.
Trial among the brand’s target audience revealed young families jumped from 62% to 84%, and volume sales defied FMCG trends, rising by nearly 23%.
Spontaneous awareness tripled, shifting perceptions from nostalgic to mischievous and reinforcing the brand as a “modern” family favourite. In a market dominated by chocolate biscuits and indulgent treats, Jammie Dodgers had managed to carve out a space for jammy mischief and shared fun across generations.
The work has now been shortlisted at this year’s prestigious Effie Awards UK, with the winners to be announced in November.
Tracy Hughes, head of FBC Family Brands, said: “Working with McCann on the ‘Jam-packed with Mischief’ campaign has been a real turning point for Jammie Dodgers. They helped us reconnect with families in a way that felt fresh and relevant, while staying true to our playful roots. The campaign not only brought the brand back into the spotlight but also delivered impressive results, from increased household penetration to a boost in awareness. McCann’s thoughtful approach and creativity have been key to revitalising Jammie Dodgers for a new generation.”
70 years on, Jammie Dodgers and McCann showed that even a national biscuity treasure can reinvent itself for a new generation, without becoming a stale relic of the past.
