The Come Dine With Me Range is not something we often discuss at the Swan HQ as we’re too busy keeping up with the present, but seeing as though it has been eleven years since this CDWM journey began, we’ll let you in on what went down!
Come Dine With Me Range Background
This range journey began with Rob (Sales Director) and David (Marketing Director). David walks us through the story with a 2014 write-up:
“Swan Products Limited was really in its infancy when Rob and I found ourselves attending a meeting at the ITV studios on the South Bank to discuss the product license for Come Dine with Me (CDWM). This was during the Summer of 2011. As a company, we’d had success over the years with party-style products with the Dutch brand, Princess, and thought this could be an opportunity to make the theme more mainstream.”
“At the time of the meeting, CDWM was everywhere and was very much water cooler TV. The series had millions of viewers, but didn’t have a set demographic as it was considered most people’s guilty pleasure. Once the deal was done, the hard work was about to begin. It was quickly decided, with the help of our creative team at CIC, to divide the party-style products into menu style courses, e.g. Starters, Mains and Desserts.”
Come Dine With Me Recipe Booklets
“To set it apart, we also decided to add a mini version of the CDWM game inside each box. This contained score cards, blank menus, and scrolls to make it a fully authentic experience. As for the packaging design, this was led by the licenser, and was unique in regard to what we had worked on before, but we felt very positive about it. The gift box was designed to repeat the experience of what it feels like when opening a present.”
Come Dine With Me Branding
“The lifestyle photography went beyond anything we had created previously. Food economists were drafted in to help create and dress the perfect CDWM room sets to maximise each product. Each product also contained a selection of recipes from the series that could be cooked perfectly using a particular appliance and even featured, which CDWM contestant had created it.”
“The Swan CDWM web page also included further information. There were also links to 4oD to stream the latest shows, dinner party music, and search for recipes. Every aspect of product, gift box, IM, recipe book and website were fully considered to ensure it was on brand and felt like an immersive experience.”
“The hard work and dedication soon paid off as we had several great listings in a number of major retailers within the UK. The whole CDWM range shaped the way that Swan as a business has evolved over the last 10 years. Attention to detail, creating a real ‘wow factor’, and standing out from the crowd has really helped to put the Swan brand back on the map. This has also been demonstrated through our other ranges, such as Retro and Fearne.”
This range is one of the most unique that Swan has created. We hope you’ve loved hearing all about the CDWM journey and the BTS experiences that David and Rob entailed. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for our next BTS product journey post!
