Australia's largest ginger processor has launched an unusual marketing strategy that asks redheads to help make ginger sexy.

The CEO of Buderim Ginger Roger Masters on his 'ginger revolution' marketing plan. ( Marty McCarthy )

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 5 minutes 47 seconds 5 m Buderim Ginger's Roger Masters has an unusual new marketing strategy for the company ( Marty McCarthy ) Download 2.7 MB

"It's a matter of connecting people with ginger and the way we can do this is with 'gingers' - people with red hair," said Roger Masters, the CEO of Buderim Ginger.

"Ginger is the forgotten product and it's been left in the pantry," he said.

"We've got to get it out of the pantry and back on the table and get people to understand that ginger is sexy again."

Buderim Ginger's processing site on the Queensland's Sunshine Coast sees busloads of elderly tourists through its doors every day.

But now the company is trying to make ginger cool with a younger consumer and to do that it's targeting young people whose MC1R (pigment) receptor is set to default...a.k.a. redheads.

"We'll get a ginger revolution going, and create that link," Mr Masters said.

"Red-heads are just a way for people to remember ginger, but we can all have a lot of fun.

"Young people are either on Instagram or YouTube or Twitter and they want to talk about this and share their jokes, videos and photos and this is a way to do that.

"They won't sit down and watch a boring TV advertisement. You have to really come through the social media route."

Ginger pride v bullying concerns

Prejudice Only a ginger can call another ginger, ginger

Only a ginger can call another ginger, ginger

So listen to me if you care for your health

You won't call me ginger 'less you're ginger yourself When you are a ginger life is pretty hard

Years of ritual bullying in the school yard

Kids calling you Ranga and Fanta Pants

No invitation to the high school dance

But you get up and learn to hold your head up

You try to keep your cool and not get het up

But until the feeling of I'll is truly let up

Then the word is ours and ours alone By Tim Minchin

Mr Masters dismisses concern that Buderim Ginger's new marketing push could lead to discrimination against redheads.

"Most redheads I know aren't very sensitive at all. They're used to a bit of prejudice, so they're pretty thick skinned," he said.

"When we started this process, we found ginger marches in London and Edinburgh, and when I was in Holland they had the Red Head Day in Amsterdam.

The marketing idea came to Mr Masters after he heard the song Prejudice by musician-comedian Tim Minchin.

The performer did not want to endorse the product, but Mr Masters says the song was inspiration nonetheless.

"It just made me laugh so much, and it was fantastic, and that's what gave me the idea about the ginger revolution.

"The board thought I had a strange sense of humour," he laughed.

Mr Masters says the campaign is also a way to challenge the prejudices red-heads face.

Ginger is the "forgotten product", but is popular with older consumers ( Marty McCarthy )

"There's a cause-related issue here about anti-bullying," he said.

"Why should gingers get picked on?

"I see this as a way of bringing the issue to the front.

"There was an issue with South Park a long time ago where they did raise a problem about bullying gingers, but they did it in a negative way.

"As a result, there was bullying of redheads that followed.

"What we're doing is making it contemporary and fun and we're saying that it's ok to be a ginger, and maybe they will take some pride in the fact they're really out there."

Redheads react

Red highlights: Red and Nearly Ginger Association (RANGA) is happy with the sudden attention ( Lucinda Kent )

The nation's peak body representing the rights of redheads says the new marketing push might not go down so gingerly.

Aaron Webb, of the Red and Nearly Ginger Association (RANGA), says the move is a win for the representation of his fair-haired friends, but not all 'ranga' campaigns are successful.

"There's been similar things in the past and they tend to go one way or the other," he said.

"A few years ago, Vic Roads launched a viral campaign about using your mobile phone while driving.

"One of their lines was 'every time you use your mobile phone while driving a ginger gets his wings'.

"That one didn't go too well and there was a bit of negative press to it.

"It was supposed to be a light-hearted thing, but it didn't quite hit the mark."

Nonetheless, Mr Webb says any 'ranga' publicity helps the redhead cause.

"Part of RANGA's mission is to reclaim the word and put a positive spin on it, so the more activity and press around the word the better," he said.