Frozen food retailer Iceland has updated its classic slogan ‘That’s why mums go to Iceland’ to highlight that other people shop in the supermarket as well.
It’s been a long time coming, but now (yes, that’s right, in 2024) the grocer has finally admitted that it is ‘not just for mums’, with progressive new strapline – ‘That’s why we go to Iceland’.
The new positioning is part of a wider advertising campaign which bosses claim has been designed to reflect the supermarket’s “growing customer base”. In truth, it was a hugely outdated slogan which should probably have been quietly retired years ago.
Seemingly at odds with this new direction, is the choice of celebrity to front the campaign. It was revealed today that TV personality and reality star Josie Gibson (a mother herself), will be the new ‘face of Iceland’, continuing with the retailer’s long-held tradition of using celebrity mums to reel people in (or at least other mums, as we know they are the only ones in charge of the weekly shop).
“I think the new tagline is great because Iceland is not just for mums. Even though mums love it, Iceland is for everybody,” Gibson said.
A shop, that sells food, is for everybody? It’s groundbreaking stuff.
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The supermarket first took the ‘mum’ angle in its marketing back in 1970, when the chain launched with the strapline ‘mums love it’. Old-fashioned, sure, but also absolutely of its time.
Later, in 1988, a TV press and radio campaign adjusted the slogan slightly to say, ‘Mum’s gone to Iceland’. It was only in 2004, when pop star Kerry Katona became the face of the retailer’s ad campaigns that the now iconic ‘So that’s why mums go to Iceland!’ strapline was cemented in the public consciousness.
But even that was two decades ago now, and the less said about Katona’s fall from grace and subsequent sacking from the supermarket’s family-focused campaign, the better.
Executive chairman Richard Walker said: “Iceland’s always been number one with mums, but the reality is people from all walks of life, and life stage, choose to shop with us.
“That includes everyone from students and seniors, to single parent families, mums, dads, and fitness enthusiasts. We’re a Great British institution and open to all.”
But is any of this really radical news, in 2024? The choice of Gibson feels particularly confused, as Iceland has previously used male celebrities in its ads (Peter Andre and Jason Donovan), even when it still had the ‘mum’ slogan.
Because of this, the new campaign – which could have been great – just feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. By changing the strapline, all they’ve done is draw attention to how outdated it has been all this time.
Iceland could have taken the opportunity to really make a difference by choosing any number of more diverse celebrities which would better illustrate their “open to all” message. No offense to Gibson, but she’s hardly a poster-girl for diversity.
Even choosing a woman who (shock, horror) hasn’t had children would have been a big tick in the ‘not just for mums’ box.
Ultimately, it’s one thing talking about being there for “people from all walks of life” but by choosing Gibson Iceland has played it too safe and in doing so, undermined its own attempt at rebranding. Hopefully, that will change as the campaign develops, but for now, it looks very much like it is still just mums who go to Iceland.
