Revitalising the brand

Baiada’s aim was to define Steggles as a distinguishable industry leader. This was achieved by designing and implementing a brand revitalisation strategy encompassing four key drivers:

1. Research showed that consumers found minimal difference between Steggles and its main competitor, both in terms of what the brand stood for (the brand values) and the physical depiction of the brand, including the logo, packaging, marketing and advertising techniques. Some consumers even thought that the two brands were part of the same company!

2. Over the previous five years Steggles, like other major poultry brands, were losing shelf space and market presence to private label and new poultry brands. The poultry offering in Australia provides consumers with good value; however consumers buy for many different reasons, of which price is only one factor. Consumers’ overall opinion of the brand, which translates directly into how likely they are to buy the product, is called the ‘value perception’. The value perception of the new poultry brands entering the market was gaining ground.

3. Business sustainability is critical to a company’s success. An acquisition is a considerable change to a business and it was important for Baiada to continually prove to financial lenders and shareholders that the business would continue to succeed and grow. Capitalising on Steggles’ brand equity was an important way to ensure this growth.

4. Merging two companies is no easy task. Different businesses have different cultures and ways of working, and the inevitable changes and rationalisation that follow can cause uncertainty and a drop in morale.

A successful brand relaunch is one way in which a business can ensure everyone is working towards a common goal. To successfully relaunch the Steggles brand, Baiada reviewed and identified the brand positioning and brand values. Brand positioning reflects the place a brand occupies in the marketplace and should identify and communicate to customers why the brand is unique, how it differs from its competitors, and its value to the customer. Brand values help build a connection with the consumer.

Baiada identified the Steggles brand positioning and brand values through a series of workshops that evaluated the following areas:

• Perception of the Steggles brand versus competitor brands. As discussed previously, the current branding caused confusion among consumers, leading to a lack of clear brand identity
• Short and long-term objectives for the brand, including regaining shelf presence, growing the number and profit margin of products sold, and brand loyalty
• Gaps in the market. No major Australian poultry producer’s brand had strong representation in the fresh chicken category. Steggles had an extensive range in the value-add segment of the market (chicken nuggets, chicken fingers etc.), however fresh products drive a stronger quality message and with a limited range in this area Steggles were well aware that this needed to be their next step forward
• The existing Baiada business values. Family and community had always been an important part of the Baiada business and it was important that this extended to the Steggles brand, especially as Baiada branded products were being phased out and removed from shelves.

The evaluation process led to the Steggles brand positioning being created based on three key values: Quality, Australian & Family. The brand revitalisation plan was now ready to enter the next phase.