Birds Eye - Captain Birdseye Advertising (United Kingdom)

Captain Birdseye Advertising (United Kingdom)

In the United Kingdom, Captain Birdseye is the advertising mascot of the brand. Appearing in numerous television and billboard commercials since 1967, he was played by actor John Hewer between then and 1998. He is depicted as a clean living, older sailor with a white beard, dressed in merchant navy uniform and with a seafaring accent. This character was so successful that when the company's brand was relaunched with a younger man with designer stubble (played by Thomas Pescod), the project floundered and the older description of the character was brought back into the promotions. In 1993, Captain Birds Eye was voted as the most recognised captain after Captain Cook in a poll.

The Captain Birdseye mascot is a reference to the brand's extensive and well-known range of frozen seafood products, including Fish Fingers. Because the Birds Eye brand is marketed to families, many of the advertising campaigns feature Captain Birdseye as having a "crew" composed mostly of children in the preteen to teenage age groups, encouraging brand loyalty from children and emphasising the convenience of serving the company's products to their parents. A 2005 advertising campaign in the UK features Captain Birdseye informing consumers that Birds Eye readymade meals contain no artificial flavourings or preservatives, with an emphasis that they are healthy to children.