Fourth-year students at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) have been recognised for a series of creative marketing campaigns promoting the 'Whole Potato', following a live industry brief set by GB Potatoes.
The campaigns were developed as part of the agricultural communications module within SRUC’s agriculture degree programme, with students tasked to create and pitch concepts encouraging consumers to embrace the whole, unprocessed potato.
The brief followed a guest lecture by agricultural communications specialist Jane Craigie, who introduced students to the strategic thinking behind effective food and farming campaigns.
Students were required to produce short video pitches outlining campaign objectives, target audiences, communications tactics and a clear call to action. Entries were judged by GB Potatoes chief executive Scott Walker.
Two projects were awarded top prizes of £250.
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The award for best campaign plan went to 'Ware on Your Plate', which encouraged consumers to swap processed potato products for fresh potatoes, highlighting benefits for both local farmers and consumer health. The campaign centred on a social media challenge aimed particularly at under-25s, encouraging them to cook more whole potatoes at home, supported by simple online recipe packs distributed to first-time homeowners and university students.
Best creative concept was awarded to 'The Potato Love Story', a light-hearted animated campaign in which two young potatoes reject the pressure to become crisps, chips or wedges and instead choose to stay whole. The humorous storyline was designed to reinforce the appeal of the whole potato to modern audiences.
A third entry, 'Put the Whole Potato Back at the Heart of British Meals', received a £100 runner-up prize.
Walker said: “The students are all very talented, and it was encouraging to see such a range of creative and well-considered campaigns. Promoting the value of the whole potato to modern consumers is a key priority for the sector, particularly as eating habits evolve.
"At the same time, we need to engage the next generation and help them see the opportunities within the industry. This project achieved both, and GB Potatoes was proud to support it.”
Senior lecturer and programme lead for agriculture at SRUC, Craig Davison said welcoming industry expertise into the classroom had brought the module to life.
“As this is the first year for this module, seeing our students motivated to engage with wider audiences is incredibly rewarding, and it has exposed them to a wider range of career opportunities within the industry,” he said.
The team behind 'The Potato Love Story' including Josie Hall, Holly Rodger, Euan Pettigrew and Callum Macdonald, said the experience had opened their eyes to the world of agricultural communications.
“It was really fun to be part of the GB potato campaign and explore different ideas in advertising, trying to engage the audience while getting the message of the whole potato across,” they said.
Daniel Norrie, Oliver Nymand and Gillies Boyd, creators of 'Ware on Your Plate', said the win had come as a surprise.
“Having worked on other potato projects before, it was a really fun process to see a different more creative side to the industry. I hope it inspires more people to bring unprocessed potatoes back into their everyday cooking,” they added.
The winning entries were shared on GB Potatoes’ social media channels, with 'The Potato Love Story' highlighted on Valentine’s Day: www.gb-potatoes.co.uk
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