Ready meal brand Hide has launched its first out-of-home campaign following its nationwide launch at Tesco stores earlier this year.

The marketing campaign will appear across multiple London sites until mid-August, placing the brand’s chef-made meals centre with a series of headlines.

This move aims to change the perceptions of the ready-meal aisle by creating products designed for shoppers who have traditionally avoided the category as a whole.

The marketing campaign was designed in partnership with creative agency Among Equals, which focused on the brand’s products using simple copy to reflect the idea that exceptional food does not need excessive styling.

Faraz Nagree, founder of Hide, said: “For years, ready meals have carried a stigma that they’re something you buy when you don’t have another option. We started Hide to challenge that thinking and took the same approach in our first OOH campaign.

Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning

“We believe convenience should never come at the expense of taste, quality or health, and this campaign says exactly what we’re all thinking – ready meals weren’t ready for this.”

This move comes as the consumer expectations around convenience food continue to evolve, and Hide aims for the campaign to create a wider conversation about why the category has been underestimated.

The brand has sold over 500k meals since it landed in Tesco a few months ago, and the brand has expanded its executive leadership team with two new appointments as it grows.

Emily Jeffrey-Barrett, founder at Among Equals, added: “The intention was to create billboards with nothing to hide. They’re probably the most on-brand thing we could make. They’re honest and straightforward and don’t try to dress the product up, because the food speaks for itself.”