This week’s Brand Forum event was themed on “Knowing your Target Audience – From Insight to Activation”. The session inspired attendees to embrace product innovation, use imaginative marketing, use of data to drive decision making, being open to new ideas & not resisting change and most of all knowing your customer.
The first speaker was Conor Kilduff, Sales and marketing Director at Keeling’s a company who trace their origins to the family farm in North Dublin in the 1930’s. Over a decade ago they began what many regarded an impossible task; to create a national brand. Conor demonstrated just how successful they have been in achieving that objective. Noting their dependence on qualitative and quantitative market research for guidance and insight, Keelings monitor consumer trends aided by Bord Bia’s Consumer Lifestyle trends.
• Natural Functional: the biggest current trend • Snacking: the ‘snackification’ of everything
• Sugar: more suspect than ever • Slow Energy: a new frontier
• Kids Nutrition: particular concern for mothers • Free-From: still a source of growth
• Seniors: growing importance as population ages • Permission to Indulge: it never went away
• Dairy: dairy now relevant as a natural whole food• Weight Wellness: redefining food markets
• Protein: increasing preoccupation • Energy: everyone wants it
It is not difficult to see how most of these trends, including – Natural Functional, weight wellness, snacking, indulgence etc. combine to provide opportunities for the fresh fruit category. Responding to these insights Keeling’s have introduced a continuous series of innovations backed by continuously imaginative promotions mainly driven by customer experience at point-of-sale and social media.
Noteworthy examples included use of new pack formats to drive sales, from packs in the shape of Christmas trees in December to multi-berry packs and fruit snack packs throughout the year. The brand is very active on social media which is used to inform engage and converse with consumers. He spoke about the importance of maintaining the often difficult balance between managing the brand and managing trade lines, noting that this balance is now necessity for business success.
Keeling’s marketing communications concentrate on social media and brand activation and the presentation outlined an impressive range of continuous activity including the hugely innovative ‘Januberry’ new year promotion designed to increase sales at a time when people are feeling over-weight after the Christmas excesses and emboldened by new year resolutions. The results have been extremely impressive and were achieved in a short period of time. Spontaneous or unprompted awareness of the brand increased from 17% in 2012 to 51% in 2015 and the increasingly important Net Promotor score increased from 33% to 56% during the same period. It was not surprising therefore that sales of berries increased by 87% since 2010. This case study could be used by members to justify a similar programme of brand building based on sound consumer insights, continuous product and packaging innovation and imaginative marketing communications.
For more information please contact niamh.machale@bordbia.ie
Source: Bord Bia – Knowing your Target Audience – From Insight to Activation
