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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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
Wehrman & Company, Inc. is a St. Louis marketing communications and Copyright © 1999-2002 | SingleVoice Marketing® is a registered trademark of |
