Thin and crispy frozen pizza brand, Dr. Oetker Ristorante, has unveiled a multimillion pound video-led marketing campaign, heralding the brand’s return to TV and video advertising.

The Play It Italian media campaign has been rolled out this month across TV, cinema, on-demand and digital video and will be supported by a print media partnership with Hearst, in addition to public relations activity.

Ristorante’s return to mass, national advertising comes with the arrival of its new ‘Brighten Your Day’ proposition, inspired by the joy of eating pizza. The playful nature of this new proposition is reflected in the brands new media campaign entitled Play it Italian, which positions Ristorante alongside classic Italian dining iconography.

The marketing campaign also includes a redesign of its longstanding packaging, with warmer colour palettes and a new logo. The campaign will drive awareness of Ristorante’s wide range of pizzas, whilst also introducing the new branding to its fans nationwide.

The updated packaging, which is bespoke to the UK market, has been rolled out across Ristorante’s entire pizza range, including Pepperoni, Speciale, Mozzarella, Funghi, Hawaii and Pollo. These changes also apply to products catering to specific dietary requirements, including the plant-based Ristorante Pizza Margherita Pomodori, which is one of the best selling frozen pizzas within its category, in addition to the brand’s gluten and lactose free options.

Dr. Oetker is making this significant investment to maintain and bolster the brand’s success; Ristorante accounts for nearly one in five purchases within the thin and crispy frozen pizza sector, valued at £44m YoY (Source: IRI Unify 52 w/e 26th Feb, 2022).

A final element of the brand refresh is the updating of the core Ristorante range to ensure that it is compliant with upcoming HFSS requirements well ahead of the government’s official schedule for setting the requirements live. These changes apply to Pepperoni, Speciale, Mozzarella, Funghi, Hawaii and Pollo.

Paula Wyatt, Head of Marketing at Dr. Oetker Ristorante, said: “2022 is already shaping up to be an exciting year for Ristorante and we’re looking forward to taking our brand in a fresh, new direction. Ristorante pizzas are inspired by Italy, and the marketing campaign showcases everything we love about the Italian way of life, while reinforcing our positioning as a modern, dynamic, energising and playful brand.

“We have a hugely loyal customer base and know that consumers love our iconic taste. The brand relaunch will reinforce our commitment to quality, while also encouraging new customers to Play It Italian with their at-home meals.”