UMBRELLA MILK BRAND MILDAR
History of cooperation
Mollex is a well-known St. Petersburg distributor that approached us in the summer of 2017 to develop a new umbrella brand of hard cheeses. The Lida Dairy Canning Plant, the leading dairy cannery in Belarus, is engaged in the main production.
The goal of the company’s management is to reach the TOP 5 in terms of packaged cheese sales in the North-Western Federal District and Central Federal District of Russia. In the future, the product portfolio will be supplemented with the following items: butter, milk, processed cheese.
Task: development of the Mildar dairy brand
Branding for the company included this range of services:
- Marketing research and strategy development
- Creating a naming convention
- Launch of brand design of cheese packaging
- Preparation of original layouts
Trend analytics
- product sales market – Moscow and the region, St. Petersburg and the region;
- price segment – medium, medium plus;
- sales locations – wholesale, small and large retail.
- main competitors: umbrella brand Savushkin Product (Brest-Litovsky, Savushkin Product), Lugovaya Freshness, Syrobogatov, umbrella brand Neva Milk (Thousand Lakes, Gold of Europe).
Consumer portrait
As part of the marketing analysis, we found that:
- Women are more likely to buy dairy products than men – 64.2% of women versus 35.8% of men. More than 60% purchase dairy more than twice in a week and 35% purchase it daily.
- Among men, 43% shop at least twice a week. Only 18% of the male audience purchases milk for children. And half of men (48%) buy dairy products exclusively for themselves.
Based on general statistics and internal research it was determined that our CA consists of:
- young, nonworking moms;
- working moms;
- fathers in a car;
- of parents whose children have grown up;
- self-sufficient men and women.
Phase II. Strategy development
Strategy Objectives:
- To bring a new dairy brand to market and introduce it to consumers.
- To be in the top 5 in terms of packaged cheese sales in the region.
- To win the favor of the target audience – families with children and women who shop regularly by delivering the brand’s positioning and Unique selling proposition.
- Increase brand awareness among the audience and attract the attention of retailers by planning an advertising campaign with coverage of at least 70% of our target audience – 570 thousand married women living in Moscow, St. Petersburg and their regions.
- Establish itself in the minds of consumers as a brand with a history of producing high quality products.
Ways to achieve goals:
- Develop a positioning statement that outlines the market segment of the product. This will help to stand out from the competition and show the audience the advantages of the products. Our goal is to choose the most competitive positioning possible.
- Creating a unique selling proposition (USP) for each product, to fix its image in the memory of the buyer.
- Develop targeted advertising messages for each of the CA groups.
- Conduct an advertising campaign to promote the brand, utilizing the potential of outdoor advertising media, Internet promotion and TV advertising. This increases memorability and will have a positive impact on distribution.
Phase III. Creating a cheese brand: naming
Most slogans for dairy products emphasize 3 main criteria:
- freshness;
- traditions;
- Health.
These were the key aspects in creating the naming for TM “Mildar”. Our copywriters have developed over 100 brand name variations. Among them, the focus group selected the best names that met such requirements:
- dissimilarity to competitors’ names;
- memorability;
- sweet-sounding;
- Lack of association with concepts that have nothing to do with dairy products;
- domain availability for the TM site.
From the ten most successful variants, we selected the final concept that meets all the stated requirements – “Mildar”.
Associative series: sweetheart, gift, present, milk gift
Positioning: Mildar – keeping family values. The most precious thing in the world is love. Show your loved ones you care!
Word form: milk + give
Phase IV. Launch of dairy product packaging design concept
Design trends
Through research and competitor analysis, it has been found that the key criteria for successful packaging are: Appetizing complementary illustrations that increase appetite, encourage purchase and offer options for consumption.
Adding identifying marks and colors to help distinguish creations from the same line on the store shelf. Smart use of the viewing window, such as incorporating it into the overall design of the label. An interesting approach to barcoding: using all parts of the package, not just the back and front panel.
Decision
Our assignment at this stage is to develop packaging design for these formats:
- 200 gram pack;
- 150 gr. slicer for 4 items: Russian, Maasdam, Holland, Tilsiter.
The packaging development started with a 200 gram pack, as the customer most often deals with this format. Next, we set about creating a label for the cheese slicer. It should be noted that the entire packaging design is adaptable to other dairy products in the line, such as butter or milk.
The goal of this phase was to create a new and memorable brand that stands out on the store shelf and encourages the visitor to make a purchase.
The final piece of packaging design is the presentation of several possible concepts.
Corporate identity development
Concept 1. Cheese that brings happiness!
Legend: at Mildar production, all cows enjoy life such as listening to music, going for massages and spa treatments. This caring attitude makes the cows smile and give special milk that fills everyone who drinks it with joy and positivity. Cheese made from such milk is concentrated happiness.
- White is the traditional color for dairy products
- A smile on the packaging attracts attention and evokes positive emotions, making consumers smile
- Inspection windows allow you to verify the quality of the product and its freshness
- The overall minimalism of the concept makes the packaging stand out on the shelf
- Line identification – name color
Concept 2. The perfect proportion of useful elements!
Legend: Mildar cheese contains a complex of vitamins and trace elements that help all members of the family stay healthy. Moms buy this particular cheese so that their loved ones are not only satiated, but also get the necessary substances for the body.
Moms choose Mildar!
In this concept, our designers relied on a European, or “flat” style in the design.
- Circular multicolored infographics unique to each item are the main focus of attention and identification of the lineup
- Against the backdrop of Mildar, it seems to the consumer that the other cheeses are less “healthy” and less wholesome
- Writing the title emphasizes the colors of the infographic
- The concept is made in a minimalistic style, thanks to which the information is well perceived by the consumer
Concept 3. A cheese worthy of a king’s table!
Legend: our products are made from ancient recipes that have come down to us. “Mildar” has been famous for its products since ancient times and was exclusively available to kings and nobles. Chronicles have been preserved, where it is said that Mikhail Romanov himself asked to serve only “Mildar” to the table. Today, you can try the “royal” products as well.
- Brand identification comes from a vibrant, complex and memorable ethnic pattern
- The ruler is identified by color grading
- The design gives a direct reference to origins and tradition
- Catchy colors make the product stand out on the shelf
- The large viewing window allows you to appreciate the benefits of the product
Final concept: premium cheese for those tired of bright spots on the shelf
The Mildar brand offers to buy a premium product for a reasonable price. This is the purpose of the final version of the packaging – black laconic design, which distinguishes the product from the light-colored packaging of competitors.
Key benefits of the final concept:
- Presence of infographic elements
- The product line is identified by means of colored dies
- The color scheme is unique against price segment competitors
- The black color references premiumness and adds value to the product in the eyes of the consumer
- The original font solution of the logo attracts a young audience
Stage V. Development of a unique selling proposition
Our UTP includes these approaches to brand positioning:
- To be useful and beneficial to the consumer.
- Be original, stand out from the competition with additional options, ideas or bonuses.
- Be open to changes that will help attract new audiences.
TSS options
Based on the main trends of a good selling proposition, our marketers together with designers developed 3 concepts
Final concept approved by the customer
Our UTP includes these approaches to brand positioning:
- To be useful and beneficial to the consumer.
- Be original, stand out from the competition with additional options, ideas or bonuses.
- Be open to changes that will help attract new audiences.
TSS options
Based on the main trends of a good selling proposition, our marketers worked with designers to develop 3 concepts.
Transferring the concept to other packaging formats
Mildar plans to add several types of butter and milk to its product portfolio, so our designers were initially focused on developing an adaptive label that would organically fit the product line.
In addition, the corporate identity is easily adaptable to:
- packets;
- price tags;
- corporate transportation;
- staff attire;
- other merchandise.
Project outcomes
In order to build a successful brand from the ground up, our experts developed a marketing strategy that included market research and multi-pronged brand development recommendations. This was followed by work on the naming and original packaging design. Also, our marketers created an interesting UTP that aims to increase interest in the products.
The confirmation of the effective work of our agency is the fact that the company “Mildar” requested additional services to create a product line catalog and develop its own website.
