It’s one thing to know how your bread is buttered – it’s another to know how your bread is branded.
According to Stats Canada’s October 2018 Sector Trend Analysis for baked goods, “more consumers are looking for authenticity and ‘real’ ingredients in their food.” Weston Foods is tapping into this consumer trend, recently rebranding and repackaging its Country Harvest Grains+ breads and bagels as part of a larger campaign, “Grab Life By The Grains.”
Beyond its bag redesign, Country Harvest has also rolled out in-store signage and displays (including corrugates near bread stackers and bunkers, as well as stand-alone corrugates in-aisle) across Loblaw banners, Sobeys, and Metro nationally. The shopper marketing program, created by Weston’s in-house marketing team, runs from February to May.
The new packaging better emphasizes how Country Harvest food products are a source of flax, quinoa, protein and omega 3s. Comprised of five bread and two bagel varieties, the product line packaging is designed so that “consumers have no issue finding it on shelves,” says Nicole Pekerman, head of marketing, brand build and marketing services at Weston Foods.
“We wanted the variety to stand out, and the benefits to stand out,” she says of the packaging that intercepts shoppers on auto-pilot by using bolder colours and design elements, as well as increasing the size of the product’s nutritional information. Ingredients like flax and chia are now shown in larger copy, and the bags prominently display the bread’s “New & Improved Recipe,” as well as the fact that it’s “For Heart Health.”
Pekerman adds that research showed Canadians have a fondness for the brand’s original sun logo, an element the company wanted to keep, but modernize. “We wanted a bright take on it.”
“When we consumer tested it, they loved the new design, saying it was more shoppable and findable,” notes Pekerman.
She says a typical purchasing “decision tree” begins when a person writes “bread” on their shopping list while at home. This can be further broken down according to family preferences, but it isn’t until they are actually inside the store and at shelf when they decide on which brand or variety to purchase. “Brand and price play a big role, but we are finding that having [packaging and displays that are] eye-catching is important,” she says.
