Newsletter
In the market
Monday, 20 September 2021
A blueprint to grow brand value
Illovo has embedded itself into consumer lifestyles and their purchase habits, so that they don’t have to think twice before becoming a customer. This has been achieved by building the brand and making it visible to its target audience from within large shops like Shoprite to local spaza stores.
The audience must resonate with the bold colour green. The relationship between the brand and its customers must be one of trust and satisfaction. Illovo has infused these branding ideas into their marketing efforts.
Pallet sleeves
In the sugar space, the commercial team has targeted independent customers where they have introduced pallet sleeves to enhance the Illovo brand and product presentation to consumers, as well as traders. This has resulted in Illovo Sugar standing out more on shelves, which has given positive results in the participating stores.
Local store branding
The team have engaged in driving brand visibility in the market, where they have branded a total of 21 stores within Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. The majority of these stores are grocery stores (spaza shops), which are fully branded with Illovo colours and they stock Illovo Sugar, which entices more consumers in those areas to purchase the product. It is also encouraging that these stores are strategically selected and are all in high traffic areas, and consequently reaching a lot of passing traffic, while also being more easily visible. In Gauteng province this is complimenting the service offering which exist as a last mile solution through a third party to drive more penetration in the market.
Mobile Kitchens
To help drive more syrup sales, nine additional mobile kitchens were purchased, which brings the total to ten nationally. Three are located in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape, three are located inland and four can be found in KwaZulu Natal.
These mobile kitchens will start to work in the beginning of the new financial year, where they will increase the sampling of Illovo products in order to reach many more potential consumers, who might never have had the opportunity to try the products before. This will also drive brand penetration in the market.
Syrup activations
Illovo has continued to support the business with trade activations through a highly successful regional promotion in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, using our Illovo Mobile Kitchens. The activations' objectives were to build awareness and recruit new Illovo Syrup users by conducting sampling activities with Amagwinya ne Illovo Syrup, product and usage education, providing local South African recipes and consumer engagement.
During this activation, 578 units of Illovo Syrup bottles moved, and positive buyer feedback and new orders were received to replenish stock. “We also partnered with Cambridge, as they were launching their new store in KZN, which was in West Street in Durban, as well as Harding in the South Coast. The activations and sampling were very successful, making these stores repeat buyers of our product and also resulting in an increased rate of sale”.
Syrup nationwide sampling and activations
Over the past several months, the marketing team also took the Amagwinya ne Illovo Syrup campaign to a national scale. With a strong brand presence, independent wholesalers and Shoprite retail form an important segment of the new target market. Our brand ambassadors have safely engaged with 42 000 consumers since the national rollout started.
Improved syrup execution
There has also been added resources to enhance syrup visibility in the market through the introduction of the permanent solution of parasite units, as well as Free Standing Units (FSU). “Since the introduction of these, we have seen our product and brand standing out when executed in the market and these have driven improved levels of consideration from consumers if we compare the situation before”.