Coles chief marketing officer has defended the selection of celebrity UK chef Heston Blumenthal amid debate regarding its decision not to use Australian personalities in its ads.  

Simon McDowell, who this week picked up the top marketer award at the AMI awards, told B&T that Australian chef Curtis Stone will continue promoting the Coles despite the brand recruiting Blumenthal.

"For us, we’ve had a five year relationship with Curtis that is ongoing and has proven successful for our customers and the brand," said McDowell.

“We were the first to use a chef in this way in Australia, and there’s no doubt that Curtis is very much part of our plans. With the likes of Master Chef, My Kitchen Rules, Curtis Stone and now Heston, we have a powerful cocktail for our customers,” he added.

On the issue of signing UK personalities ahead of Australian, McDowell said: “What we’re trying to do is build the most compelling, engaging and unique brand in Australia. To do this we look wherever we possibly can, looking at different ways and platforms to do that.”