Ginsters’ Sarah Babb: Turning Effort Into Equity

When Ginsters decided to put serious marketing support behind its pasty brand, it didn’t reach for reinvention. It doubled down on "effort".

That instinct — to find equity in what was already there — says a lot about Sarah Babb, the Ginsters marketing director steering the pasty into a more confident era. At the heart of that shift sits 'Taste The Effort', a brand platform created with TBWA\London and recently backed by a £4m investment. The campaign leans into craft, provenance and a quietly self-aware British wit.

The latest work sees the return of Merryn, Ginsters’ farmer figurehead, across TV, VOD, YouTube, radio, social and shopper. It’s charming without being twee, proudly Cornish without feeling parochial.

The message is simple: 100 per cent British beef, locally sourced veg, pastry made properly. But the delivery — warm, deadpan, human — reframes those claims as something more than just functional. The spot is unashamedly warm and emphasises how Merryn is constantly looking to upgrade and improve (put in more effort) to make even tastier pasties.

Babb's approach has been less about volume, price and promotion and more about value — building associations that stretch beyond “grab-and-go” into family mealtimes and shared occasions.

Her broader career helps explain the instinct. With senior brand roles across FMCG — including time at Pladis, working on household names such as McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes, as well as experience at Mattel, Hovis and Butlin’s — Babb has built her reputation on understanding what makes mainstream brands endure. It’s a blend of commercial discipline and cultural sensitivity: knowing when to innovate, and when to refine what already resonates.

At Ginsters, that’s translated into steady innovation such as toaster-ready formats, with a campaign also by TBWA\London running last September. This shows a willingness to stretch the category, but always from a place of genuine consumer need.

What’s notable about 'Taste The Effort' is that it suggests that everyday food can carry integrity and pride — that the small things done properly still matter.

The result is a brand that feels less like a fixture of the chiller aisle and more like a familiar character in British life.

Babb and Andy Jex, who led creative at TBWA\London, share insights around the development of the campaign since the platform was initially introduced almost three years ago.

Sarah Babb, marketing director, Ginsters

What was the brief to TBWA?

We had already delivered a successful platform in 'Taste The Effort' in 2023 which was designed to drive reappraisal of Ginsters by sharing our dedication to quality and taste. In 2026 we wanted to turn the dial further and deliver even more taste cues and more humour, so the brief was simple, keep what’s working well already and build on it by telling more of Merryn’s story.

How did the platform evolve and how is it performing?

Since the platform launched in 2023 we’ve seen considerable impact for the brand, both in driving short term sales, and importantly in moving brand equity measures forward. Before we launched, we had a highly salient brand that didn’t hold a huge amount of meaning for consumers, yet we had plenty of what we described as ‘untold stories’ that we found really resonated with our audience. For example, people didn’t realise that we use 100 per cent British meat or that our veg is sourced locally in Cornwall. So, we set out with a mission to tell the story of the effort that take to ensure the best tasting and best quality products, all in an engaging way.

As a result, we’ve seen increased brand relevance, Ginsters is now even more strongly associated with ‘Is a brand for me and my family’, and more people believe that Ginsters products are tasty and use the best quality ingredients. Brand Meaning also increased by more than nine points, which is phenomenal.

The new creative has evolved our storytelling by injecting even more fun and humour by introducing some new characters and telling more of the stories from the farm, and importantly also increased taste cues by featuring more tasty pasties throughout in a way that feels natural!

Is there anything else we can look forward to from Merryn and Ginsters?

Merryn is certainly going to continue to be a very important part of our brand storytelling, we see her as a key distinctive brand asset. Not only is she distinctive, but she embodies our brand personality, she’s seen as funny, open and friendly and down to earth, just like us! You can expect to see even more of her in our social media activity, as we continue to dial up our presence in social and align our content even more closely to our Masterbrand platform.

Expect to also see some bold earned activations from Ginsters this year as we continue to embed the brand in culture and create more moments to engage with our audience in a playful way.

Aside from this campaign, what else are you most proud of in your career so far?

I have to say I’m most proud of being part of the history of some iconic British brands, I’ve been lucky enough to work on McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes, Hovis and also Butlins. All brands with a rich heritage just like Ginsters, that I was entrusted to build a new chapter, for example launching Jaffa Jonuts and giving consumers a new way to enjoy a much-loved icon. It’s so rewarding as a marketer to take a heritage brand and create modern work for new audiences without losing what makes the brand unique.

Andy Jex, former CCO, TBWA\London

This is the second film featuring Merryn the farmer. In total honesty we nearly did it wrong and as a result learned a real lesson. In advertising we’re often guilty of moving on from our idea too quickly (we’ve all done it) when it’s not worn out with consumers and there’s still plenty of life in it.

Initially we wrote something that moved (only slightly) away from the heart of the first one. It tested well but deep down we all knew something wasn’t right. So fair play to Lauren Coates (the CD) as she was the one who actually called it out. So she went back with writer Dan Jones and developed Merryn and her world out further - still in the documentary style. Full credit to Sarah and her team here because it would have been much easier to stay as we were and not go back and rewrite. But it was the right thing to do which I think is evidenced in the end result. I don’t know if we were trying too hard before or trying to be too clever but we soon realised there was a wealth of really nice and funny ideas still untapped.

In creating part two it was important to feel of the same world but to delve deeper into it. Biscuit filmworks continued production duties and did a superb job with Florence Poppy Deary at the helm this time. Florence added some smart fresh thinking balanced with acknowledging what had gone before.

The decision the team made that I like the most is the way the product enjoyment shot at the end is tackled. Previously we had Merryn eating her pasty and loving it, which was perfect for part one. This time Merryn peers in though a family’s window as they enjoy their Ginsters in the name of “taste analysis”. Not only was this neat and fun but it allowed the really important ending feel as entertaining as the rest of the film. Typically end product shots feel isolated to the rest of the ad.

Merryn has always been a great character that we’re really proud of. We developed her for longevity and flexibility across all comms. So expect her popping up in different places soon. She’s a great vehicle for social particularly and even activations.

Ginsters now works with adam&eve\TBWA as a consequence of the takeover of IPG by Omnicom over recent months.