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The client PMI Nutrition is a subsidiary of Purina Mills, Inc., the nation's leader in animal nutrition since 1894. The company offers high quality dry pet foods and pet health care products, sold exclusively through independent feed dealers. The Assignment PMI Nutrition developed a new line of super premium dog and cat foods under the brand name Exclusive. Wehrman & Company was challenged with helping PMI create the brand identity and positioning for these products, and then to launch them through independent dealers nationwide. The Issues Growing at a rate of 15 percent a year, super premium pet products are the fastest growing segment of the pet food industry. With Exclusive, PMI Nutrition had created a "house brand" of super premium pet food for its feed dealer customers. Part of our challenge was to help both dealers and consumers recognize the advantages associated with choosing this "house brand" over other super premium products. We used our SingleVoice Marketing process to identify those advantages and then build them into everything from the product's logotype and packaging design to consumer advertising and dealer promotion. The SingleVoice Marketing® Solution: Our SingleVoice solution for the Exclusive product launch included these components: Brand Identity Development The name Exclusive was selected for this line of super premium pet foods for two reasons. First, the products are available exclusively through animal feed dealers, eliminating competition from grocery or discount pet stores. Second, research showed that Exclusive is a name that consumers associate with a super premium product. The brand identity we created for Exclusive communicates the product's premium quality and exclusive distribution. Colored in traditional black and gold, the brand logotype distinguishes Exclusive from both other super premium brands and other PMI pet foods. Complementing the logotype is a gold stamp designed to further reinforce the product's premium quality image. |
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Package Design Wehrman & Company developed packaging design for multiple package sizes in the five-product Exclusive line. For high visibility and impact, the brand name is displayed prominently on each package. Each package is color-coded to easily differentiate among various formulas. Positioning Statement Based on an analysis of the super premium pet food market and PMI Nutrition's strengths, Wehrman & Company recommended that Exclusive be positioned as a new class of super premium pet foods, offering the quality associated with the nation's leader in animal nutrition and the value associated with a house brand. Further, because it is sold only through dealerships, our analysis showed that dealer expertise could be promoted as one of the product line's key differentiators. From this positioning, we developed "The Exclusive Advantage," a campaign that highlights five key benefits of the new line, illustrated as the "Team of Experts That Come in Every Bag." |
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Consumer Advertising and P.O.S. Materials Using our SingleVoice Marketing process, we integrated the Exclusive identity and The Exclusive Advantage positioning statement into every piece of marketing support. The consistency of messages and the strong emphasis on the Exclusive name in advertising, posters, product brochures, and other P.O.S. materials helped build consumer awareness of the brand. |
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Test Marketing Materials Prior to the nationwide introduction, PMI Nutrition test marketed the products in Cave Creek, Arizona. Wehrman & Company created surveys, direct mail correspondence, and test market packaging used to obtain feedback from some 1,200 dog and cat owners in the area. A video crew's interviews with participants in the test market were later used in dealer introduction videos and marketing literature. |
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Dealer Introduction and Promotion To introduce and promote the Exclusive product line to independent feed dealers, we developed a new product promotion that focused primarily on a topic dear to dealers' hearts – profitability. To reinforce the financial advantages of the Exclusive line, the promotion's packaging resembled that of a financial prospectus. Like an annual report, the package opened with a letter from the president discussing market opportunities and included financial report chart graphics. We packaged dealer incentives as Investment Dividend Programs and developed Investment Support Programs for ongoing direct mail, in-store P.O.S., and local advertising. |
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The Results We succeeded in creating a brand identity and marketing program that differentiated Exclusive from other super premium pet foods. The result was a consistent message and image that helped to educate, differentiate, and motivate both customers and feed dealers. |
