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CONTENTS 1. 0 Introduction 1. 1Company / Brand Overview 1. 2Campaign Overview 2. 0 Problems Identified 2. 1 Lack of product awareness in advert 2. 2 Maturity of Advert 2. 3 Lack of relevance 3. 0 Intended Strategy 3. 1 To portray product as fun and exciting 3. 2 Portray Cravendale as premium product 3. 3 Viral advert with a social media platform to build on 4. 0 Market and Competitor Analysis 4. 1 Previous Campaigns 4. 2 Current Successful Campaigns 4. 3 Competitor Analysis 5. 0 Alternative Marketing Communications Campaign 5. 1 Campaign Strategy & Overview 5. Who campaign will target 6. 0 Outcomes 6. 1 For the Organisation 6. 2 For the Consumer 7. 0 References 8. 0 Appendix 8. 1 ‘Cats With Thumbs’ Advert 1. 0Introduction 1. 1Company / Brand Overview Cravendale milk is produced by Swedish based food co-operation ‘ARLA Foods’; a dairy company who pledge their commitment to nature and offer healthy products improving customer well-bring through “bringing people closer to nature through fresh produce”. As well as producing products such as Anchor cream and Lurpack butter, ARLA pride themselves in their innovative brand of ‘Cravendale Milk’.
In Cravendale, ARTA produce finely filtered milk, removing bacteria to increase not only the shelf life of the product but also the length of time it can be consumed once open. Cravendale can stay ‘fresh’ for up to 21 days and is unique from its milk counterparts not only due to the length of time the product can last, but also its ‘fresh creamy taste’. The milk is produced in 500ml, 1 litre and 2 litre bottles and distributed to most major retailers in whole, semi-skimmed and skimmed varieties.
The whole milk especially is known to consumers as the creamiest milk amongst major retailing brands. As well as going through its filtration process to remove bacteria, Cravendale is sold in white plastic bottles, opaque, unlike its transparent competitors, in order to protect UV rays from the sun affecting the taste. Cravendale is slightly more expensive than its brand rivals, however they put this down the expense of filtering the milk; and highlighting, that even at that, there are often deals on the product.
In 2008, Cravendale was the first milk brand to be awarded the ‘British Dental Health Accreditation’, officially making it beneficial for teeth. All packaging now carries the BDHF (British Dental Health Foundation) logo to recognise this achievement. 1. 2Campaign Overview The current advertising campaign adopted by Cravendale, “Cats with thumbs” is utilised through television and internet mediums. A video is based around a scene in a kitchen where a gentleman is pouring milk from a bottle into his cereal. A cat is staring with intent at the milk being poured into the ilk. A male voiceover narrator then asks the question “Why do cats stare when you’re pouring milk? ” The video then invites us to imagine cats with thumbs, showing clips of cats doing everyday ‘human’ tasks (flicking through a book, knitting, nail filing, clicking their fingers). The video then shows us the cats forming an army “with one thing on their mind”, ‘Cravendale Milk’. The final clip from the video shows the gentleman standing up in fear shaking his spoon and holding the milk bottle aloft as the cats all enter the kitchen, evidently after the Cravendale.
The advert finishes with the voiceover taking a serious tone “jog on kitties” as the brand logo is displayed on the centre of the screen with new slogan “The Milk Matters” underneath. Two video commercials (40 seconds and 10 seconds) broadcast respectively on mainstream commercial television and are also ‘featured’ on both YouTube and Facebook (receiving over 2 million views within the first 3 weeks of being uploaded). The 10 second advert is simply the final parts of the 40 second advert, beginning from when the cats enter the kitchen.
The online media part of the campaign is based around main character “Bertrum Thumbcat”, whom fans can ‘follow’ on Twitter or ‘like’ on Facebook. The public are invited to interact with the campaign via the social networks, by challenging Bertrum to complete different tasks. YouTube videos are then posted of the cat participating in the challenges, which include hitchhiking, fishing and playing chess. 2. 0 Problems Identified 2. 1 Lack of Product Awareness in advert There is very little brand placement in the video.
At the beginning where the man is pouring the milk into his cereal, it is impossible to determine what type of milk he is using. A split second clip of the bottle label 17 seconds in is the only factor in revealing the brand before the final part of the clip where the voiceover says “Cravendale ??? Jog on Kitties” as the man holds up the bottle and it becomes clear what kind of milk it is. Even the campaign slogan “Milk Matters” could be mistaken for a Government incentive to get people to drink milk as it doesn’t relate specifically to
Cravendale, and could potentially be promoting any milk. This is furthered by the use of cats in the advert; surely cats would be desperate for any type of milk, and with no distinct reasoning given to why they would prefer Cravendale over any others, the persuasive message is lost. 2. 2 Maturity of Advert Although the advert is an attempt to be fun through use of tongue in cheek, it can be viewed as immature, and an attempt to target a younger market that would not be expected to associate with premium milk.
The Cravendale website has also been designed in a cartoon format to fit in with the current campaign, and although it is colourful and user friendly, it lacks clear information on the benefits of the milk. One of the main sections of the website allows the user to ‘disguise’ a Cravendale milk bottle into an animal. This could be off-putting, and even insulting to the more mature crowd, who could be seen as the main purchasers of the product. Not only does the advert seem immature, but is can also appear confusing for the receiver.
It gives the impression that drinking Cravendale will make your mind roam, as it appears to do with the man eating his cereal. 2. 3 Lack of relevance A lot of potential selling points for Cravendale have been overlooked in the campaign. A particular focus could be its long life, which acts as a unique selling point, putting it ahead of competitors, but this is not mentioned once in the campaign. Some previous public relations strategies for Cravendale have been focused around the benefit of its long life; however this is something that any of the marketing aspects of the communication have failed to touch upon.
In the 21st century, with the Government actively promoting healthy living, Cravendale could also use their dental health accreditation to their advantage; however this also fails to be a part of the campaign. 3. 0 Intended Strategy 3. 1 To portray product as fun and exciting This could be intended to target publics who do not currently consume milk to start drinking Cravendale. ‘Milk Matters’ reinforces the current health strategy set out by the Government, so in attempt to convince those who do not drink milk, Cravendale have portrayed it (and their brand in particular) as something which leads to an exciting life.
The advert is full of bright colours and video effects to reiterate the enjoyable aspect of drinking the milk, and for receivers to associate this enjoyment when considering the product. It works on the cognition asserted, whereby the receiver is made to believe that cats generally are like humans; a fake reality that is stored in the mind and subconsciously recalled whenever the receiver notices, or thinks of Cravendale milk.
The socially mediated meaning of a cat might be taken to be representative of desire, pleasure and innocence; qualities that Cravendale would like their product to be associated with. Through incorporating the online aspect of the campaign, it could be considered that it has a sub-target of children, who in turn will have an influence on their parents buying the product for the whole family. “They are known to be highly influential decision makers in a particular family purchase” (Mintel, 2003).
This is furthered by the free Cravendale stickers available to order through the website. Through exploring Crosier’s definition of advertising audiences (1999), it could be assumed that children are in the macro audience for the advert; the adverts aren’t specifically used through children’s television, but in programmes more suited for family audiences where they would be present and one of the targets. 3. 2 Portray Cravendale as premium product Cats have been used in the campaign as they are the creature most likely to be attracted to milk.
Cravendale’s premium product range is covertly portrayed through the cats not being allowed any of the milk. Usually it might be expected that a cat would get a share of the milk, but the man is made to look extremely scared when the cats are after his milk, yet its still ‘too superior’ for him to part with it. The house where the advert is set also looks like a middle class establishment, with a well kept garden outside, when the cats are shown. This gives a further covert indication to the premium nature of the product. 3. Viral advert with a social media platform to build on With recent successful advertising campaigns featuring animals, including ‘Compare the Meerkat’ and ‘Churchill’, Cravendale have decided to adopt a mascot, ‘Bertrum Thumbcat’ with the intention of becoming a large viral hit, which would then lead to increase of product sales. With over 2 million YouTube hits, it could be argued that the advert itself has gone global, but with very little product placement in the video it is unclear if it will have a positive impact on the uptake of Cravendale milk.
Through the launch of the specific Facebook and Twitter pages for Bertrum, the company are attempting to create an image that will imbed into the receivers minds whereby they will think of the Thumbcat whenever they see the milk, and vice versa. Since the launch of the campaign, Cravendale has also built on their online presence by launching a supporting website, makethetea. com; a ‘social communitea’ where users subscribe and communicate with each other via the platform, as well as ‘rating’ each others online tea making skills.
These strategies have been auctioned with the intent to catch attention, with receivers showing an interest in the advertising campaign, leading to a desire which they will likely action, the action being the purchase, or consumption of Cravendale milk. 4. 0 Market and Competitor Analysis 4. 1Previous Campaigns Although previous Cravendale television campaigns have rarely focused on the long-life of the product, they have focused more on the quality of the product than the current campaign.
The original Cravendale advertising campaigns, utilised from 2003 featured cows coming back for the milk once bottled, with the slogan that it was “So good the cows want it back”. This portrayed the quality of the milk compared to other brands, and played on the idea of the milk being adventurous, as the cows chase after those who had the milk, and in a sense being part of the adventure. From 2007 until 2010, Cravendale based their campaigns around three characters; the pirate, the cow and the cyclist.
Each video advert was based around a different simple scenario, which the characters had to solve; in one advert their milk was stolen and they had to go on a hunt to find it. These again were focused around the ‘fun’ aspect of Cravendale milk, leaving a lasting impression in the receiver that purchasing Cravendale would lead to a fun life. A successful campaign from 2009 encouraged people to predict the future of how milk would be sold, and to design Cravendale packaging for the future. This welcomed innovation from individuals, while they took an interest in the product and allowed them to consider the forward thinking nature of the brand.
Creative ideas included milk being sold in sugar starch bags which dissolve when dropped into a hot drink and ‘blocks’ of milk which looked like water coolers and would self-refrigerate. One of the designs incorporated bottles shaped like weights, with another bottle designed as a cow’s head where it looked like the consumer was kissing the cow whilst drinking the milk. These campaigns which involved two way communication not only invited involvement from potential customers, but also created good news coverage for the brand, increasing awareness across the publics.
However, these campaigns have not been emulated recently, with less focus on the product itself and more focus on a campaign to make people take notice of the contents of the advert rather than the product featured. 4. 2 Current Successful Campaigns At the moment, a variety of media has been successful in portraying influential adverts from a number of organisations. Irn-Bru has a particularly successful form of advertising, focusing on humour through both television and billboard media.
These have often been controversial, however adding to the publicity of the brand, and through raising customer awareness of the product being ‘edgy’, being a major factor in increasing sales. This is a fantastic strategy taken by Irn-Bru; however Cravendale is not known to pride itself on such characteristics, so a strategy based around a tongue-in-cheek, fun advert does not seem relevant to what they should be trying to achieve as a brand. Another organisation with recent success through advertising campaigns is Sainsbury’s. They have used celebrity endorsement through Jamie Oliver to persuade receivers to purchase their products.
The television adverts are all serious and informative towards the food that is getting promoted. Through use of colour and sounds of the food getting cooked, the receiver is dragged into the advert, and associate those eloquent flavours and colours with the brand of Sainsbury’s. For organisations dealing with food and drink it is often much more beneficial to communicate through overt advertising which focuses on the true benefits of the product rather than covert advertising that says little about what it is trying to promote. 4. 3 Competitor Analysis
One of Cravendale’s main rivals in the milk market is Robert Wiseman milk. In their latest set of adverts, Wiseman focus on the freshness of their product, through bright colour and a prominent display of nature and fresh produce, including fruit. The fruit is decoded by the receivers who keep their thoughts on Wiseman milk being the freshest out of all the brands, while the displays of nature and green grass portray the benefit of consuming the product on a hot day. This is a lasting image that will be retained in the receivers mind for when they are sitting out in the warmth and wanting a drink.
The current LIDL milk advert features a cow getting milked in the supermarket, also to emphasise just how fresh their milk is. This uses a surreal moment generate the message that LIDL milk is fresh; many people will think of LIDL milk and associate it with milking cows in a supermarket, when obviously this would never happen. 5. 0 Alternative Marketing Communications Campaign 5. 1 Campaign Strategy & Overview A suitable alternative campaign for Cravendale could be a multi media approach used to target a varying audience.
The strategy would focus more on information relating to the product, whilst still maintaining the fun aspect to an extent. It would aim to target a larger potential market through a series of television commercials, billboard placements and adverts in selected magazines. The television advert would feature an extended family sitting around a garden table in the sun; grandparents right through to young children. They would be eating a healthy dinner, and the father would be pouring everyone out a glass of Cravendale milk, with the label prominently displayed in the shot.
The use of the male figure pouring the milk rather than the female figure would covertly portray strength, as main are stereotypically seen as the dominant stronger force in a family. A voiceover would then highlight the benefits of Cravendale milk over its competitors. It would focus on the health benefits, touching on the dental health accreditation, whilst also focusing on the purity of the product. A small diagram could also be used to show the process of the milk going through its filtration to remove the bacteria, with bits of ‘ bacteria’ flying out the bottle as it becomes pure.
By exploring on these unique selling points of the product and emphasising the long shelf life, it can be used as competitive advertising method to gain advantage over similar products. This would portray brand virtues lacking in competition. The campaign would also feature more cost effective adverts placed in magazines such as SAGA, targeting the more mature crowd. These adverts would primarily focus on the long life of the product, and contain simple messages, with little covert advertising, as it can be harder for this target market to decode.
A picture of an elderly couple sitting at a table enjoying a glass of the milk would be the most effective way of showing this, with some information on the purity of the milk below it. Differentiating adverts by season could also be effective, as the advert out in the garden would not appear as appealing in the winter, so it could feature the family sitting round a table in the house with a fire on; again promoting the middle class aspect, detailing Cravendale as a premium product. 5. 2 Who campaign will target Whilst the television advert would target a wide market, individual markets would be targeted through the other mediums used.
Billboards would feature a snapshot from the advert, with a slogan underneath highlighting the purity and freshness; this would target the middle aged publics, driving to and from work, or students using public transport. The magazine adverts strategically placed in publications suitable for the older generation (SAGA) would focus more on the health benefits, and the long lasting life of the product. The older generation are more likely to reap the benefits of long life milk, living in a smaller household, so it is important that this is focused upon.
Through these strategies Cravendale would maximise promotion of the characteristics of their milk through their adverts, whilst remaining in quite a serious, mature matter, which matches the premium quality of the milk; people attracted to premium quality produce generally aren’t persuaded by immature persuasion campaigns. The adverts would all be relevant to their wide target audience by highlighting positive aspects that set it apart from other similar products that the consumers may otherwise purchase. 6. 0 Outcomes 6. For the Organisation The successful advertising campaign will result in an increase in consumption, having a positive impact on the financial market. Cravendale would be consumed by a much larger public, so it would improve their profit as well as gaining a larger target audience. Also, with Cravendale in competition with other major milk brands, it would help the public make a well informed judgement on which milk they would prefer, with the chances being that they would choose Cravendale for its innovative advantage in the industry. . 2 For the Consumer Many consumers are currently unaware of the benefits of Cravendale milk, and even that long life fresh milk exists in general, so they would be open up to a completely new way of life, where buying milk every few days is no longer a necessity. Mothers (or fathers) with children would not have to worry about having the time to go for milk, as Cravendale, through their new campaign, would have shown them that there is an alternative.
Also, with Cravendale currently the only milk credited for its health impact, consumers will have overt information leading them to purchase a product that they may never have heard of before, which will lead to a healthier life. 3193 Words 7. 0 References Cravendale Official Website. Available: http://www. milkmatters. co. uk/. Last accessed 22nd March 2011. Make The Tea Social Communitea. Available: http://www. makethetea. com/. Last accessed 22nd March 2011. Wiseman Dairies Official Website. Available: http://www. wiseman-dairies. co. uk/. Last accessed 22nd March 2011. ARLA Foods.
Available: httphttp://www. arlafoods. co. uk/products/milk/cravendale/cravendale-semi-skimmed/. Last accessed 22nd March 2011. Talking Retail. (2008). Cravendale is awarded British Dental Health Foundation milk accreditation. Available: http://www. talkingretail. com/news/industry-announcements/cravendale-is-awarded-british-dental-health-foundation-milk-accreditation. Last accessed 22nd March 2011. The Grocery Trader. (2009). The white stuff in the morning. Available: http://grocerytrader. co. uk/? p=3661. Last accessed 22nd March 2011. Packaging News. (2009). Cravendale packs communicate product