JINGLE BELL FLOCK: A COPAS TURKEY FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER
361 boosted sales and awareness for this celeb and Michelin Star-chef festive favourite. A story of “Justified Indulgence” was built on key messages of high welfare, 12-week longer rearing vs supermarkets for flavour/texture, and nationwide delivery. The 361 team captured media hearts with plentiful coverage driven by journalists visiting the farm, images of turkey chicks, and stories of Alpacas protecting the flock from predators (true!), as well as tambourines and fireworks training reducing the turkeys’ stress (also true!)… all pushing sales UP by 12%.
Copas Turkeys’ operates in a surprisingly crowded space – including names like Daylesford and the iconic Fortnum & Mason – but we found there was space to develop a clear niche for the consumer: “Justified indulgence”.
With the price of Copas birds ranging from £104 to £199, this was a major expense when the cost-of-living crisis was hitting those who’d previously purchased, choosing it because of provenance, sustainability, and ethical farming practices.
This campaign would play to those themes – with added creative fun – presenting an “affordable luxury” positioning in our storytelling to the media.
The
CHALLENGE
For much of the nation, Christmas Day isn’t complete without a turkey dinner, and for famous faces including Prue Leith – plus a host of top Michelin Star chefs – serving up a Copas bird is the go-to. The farm has been in business since 1957, and it currently raises turkeys on 2,672 acres of beautiful Berkshire countryside.
But gobbling up media coverage for the festive birds is as tricky as selling-in chocolate eggs at Easter; a landscape of competing stories comes from rivals and supermarkets.
Copas had seen PR opportunities slow in recent years due to vegetarian and vegan preferences, with beef and duck also becoming popular alternatives for December 25th.
Another change for 2025 was communicating how the farm was now direct to consumer rather than to butchers. By reengaging media with its standout reputation, one aim here was to retain those who previously bought from butcher shops.
361 had to deliver stand out coverage to increase brand awareness, profile Copas as the local ‘go-to’ for turkeys and drive the sales pipeline – all within a seriously competitive media landscape.
What
we did
Once we had all our turkeys in a row, we added some creative Christmas magic with photoshoots, video filming, and narrative creation (all true!) for a range of natural news stories:
As the hatchlings arrived on the farm in July, known as poults (baby turkeys) – we photographed the curious and fluffy little birds and saturated the press to let people know Christmas preparation had begun.
As they grew and were let out into the Cherry Orchards on the farm, we told the story of Nine Peruvian Alpacas that performed as bodyguards to protect the flock from predators.
From July through to November, we consistently dialled-up the natural and free-range farming practices deployed by second-generation turkey farmer Tom Copas (son of Tom Copas Snr), communicating how well looked after his birds are.
Jingle Bell puns were rife as we created video of the turkeys playing on tambourines and bells hung in the fields to prevent stress and keep them entertained. And then as Bonfire Night approached, we demonstrated the Copas team letting off fireworks in nearby fields so the birds aren’t shocked on November 5 – they’re gradually desensitised to the bangs and flashes so they can enjoy the displays like everyone else!
In August, Tier One media went down to the farm – with The Times, Daily Express, Woman & Home, and BBC Radio Berkshire all getting an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience. These ‘Day in the Life of a Turkey Farmer’ trips included feeding the turkeys, cuddles and play, and learning how to look after them.
The team also pulled together written Cook & Carve tips and advice direct from Farmer Tom Copas on preparing your turkey, roasting it, and carving/serving the bird.
Did you know it’s best to slice the breast at a 0.5cm thickness to keep it juicy?
The
Results
This campaign surpassed client expectations and delivered across all our objectives:
Sales were UP 12%
In the final weekend before sales ended (Dec 13/14) Copas saw a significant 10.4% lift due to a full media takeover across national print, TV, and online, including: Saturday Kitchen, Alan Titchmarsh (ITV), Hairy Bikers (repeat), Daily Express, Express Online, Sunday Mirror, Mirror Online, and The People
We boosted brand awareness and trust: Total reach was 142,828,644
35x media coverage overall:
15x nationals
4x broadcast
7x consumer
9x regional
This included:
4x journalist visits to the farm
10x Copas interviews arranged and published
3x recipe features in Metro, Metro Scotland, and Olive
8x news alerts and picture stories
Additional media included London Standard, Metro, City Life, Consommé, Countryside, Pause mag
Our three key messages had good conversion with 77% mentioning welfare, 54% the turkey’s flavour/texture, and 46% ordering timelines. A dozen pieces mentioned how Copas is an award-winning turkey brand.
We certainly positioned Copas as the local go-to for turkey buying:
Following the live BBC Berkshire broadcast, phones rung all morning with orders for turkeys and trimmings and that week web sales rose by 6%
Local press talked about Copas winning two stars at the Great Taste Award
Coverage for south of England’s garden centre chain partnership – buyers could collect their turkey from the closest Hillier’s on December 22nd
Chris Evans even crowned Copas Turkeys as “the best turkeys in the world” live on his Virgin Breakfast Show…despite being vegan!
GET in TOUCH!
We’re not just excited about what we do; we’re thrilled at the prospect of working with you.
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