Roll on Jersey Royal Season

A £3m ad campaign to celebrate the start of the Jersey Royal Potato season gets fully underway this month, featuring the famous landscape and real people who have been involved in producing the ‘champagne of potatoes’ for decades. 

This is the first campaign that the UK’s leading potato producer Albert Bartlett has commissioned to support Jersey Royals since their acquisition of The Jersey Royal Company in 2024 and the first major campaign collaboration with Dentsu since appointing them as lead creative partner. 

‘Roll On Jersey Royal Season’ showcases the unique setting and traditional process that goes into producing Jersey Royals on the famous côtils of Jersey (the steep sloping fields that the early season potatoes are grown on) and the growers that produce them, set against some iconic Jersey landmarks. 

It highlights the anticipation and excitement for the season ahead and is a fun representation of the famous crops journey from field to fork. The advert opens with Jersey farmer Nick Mourant, a fifth generation farmer, surveying the crop. We then move to see the famous ‘surfing the plough’ with Joe from Jersey Royal Company using his traditional hand plough in the field as he has done for 38 years and as the early growers did in the 1890’s. Watching all is Ziggy (Jersey Royal Company field team member) as he waves flags at Gorey Castle to signal the start of Jersey Royal season. The potatoes then ‘pop’ out of the fields and playfully roll down the streets to be caught and cherished by the represented UK public.

The film then cuts to renowned chef Michel Roux boiling the potatoes in his kitchen and ends with a family enjoying them at the dinner table.

The Bellamy Brothers ‘Let Your Love Flow’ provides a global hit soundtrack to the advert and adds a real feel good factor.

John Hicks, Brand & Marketing Director at Albert Bartlett, commented:

“Creating a true seasonal moment was the key creative objective behind the campaign, building anticipation amongst consumers and theatre for our retail partners as this unique and delicious seasonal gem hits UK supermarket shelves in volume from the end of April through to July. It’s a feel good ad that pays homage to the rich history of Jersey Royal and the traditional farming methods still deployed on the island today.”

A teaser campaign is currently running across digital, with TV, video on demand, digital display, paid social, out of home including across key London Underground stations and media partnerships set to run from the beginning of May. A hero 60 second TV spot will air on the Coronation Street ad break on May 5th. 

Blair Grieve, Business Director at Dentsu commented:

“On the scoping visit to Jersey we were blown away by the heritage and provenance of Jersey Royal and the characters on the island that carry the generational responsibility today to continue the traditions of their forebearers. The growers wanted us to stay true to what they do and that was easy to achieve. There was no one better to showcase the traditional ploughing method than Joe who had been doing it for 38 years, versus employing an actor to try and master the art.”

Very few precious Jersey Royal were harmed in the production by Dentsu-owned The Gate Films which was directed by Martin Aamund, with CGI used to create multiples of the potatoes. The ad was shot on Jersey and Heptonstall in Yorkshire where the street shots were filmed. On island production was supported by Slingshot Films based on Jersey.

Albert Bartlett has had a long relationship with the Jersey community having marketed the famous crop for much of their history and having established operations on the island in 2007. That commitment was significantly enhanced last year with the acquisition of, and investment in, The Jersey Royal Company. The combined entity now trades as Jersey Royal Company.