Bernard Matthews - bootiful again

Private polling by turkey giant Bernard Matthews suggests that consumers' faith in the company and its products is being restored in the wake of a multi-million pound brand revamp and advertising campaign.

Marketing director Matt Pullen said the early findings of brand research showed that using the Matthews workforce in its ad campaign was helping allay past concerns about welfare standards and reassure consumers that its turkeys are reared in Britain.

Mr Pullen said sales of turkeys were already “as strong as they have been in previous years” in the run up to Christmas.

The EDP revealed this summer that the relaunch of the Matthews brand would see the union flag and the words "Bernard Matthews Farms" displayed on all packaging to emphasise the company's roots as a British farming business.

The bright red banner declaring the company's name was replaced by a golden turkey sitting on a weather vane pointing east.

Gaudy boxes designed to stand out in freezer cabinets and on the supermarket shelves have given way to a simple design intended to evoke green fields or golden crops.

Precise data showing the impact of the campaign on sales and consumer attitudes were unavailable last night.

But Mr Pullen said the sudden economic downturn had also prompted a change in tactics - and sparked heavier than expected promotion in supermarkets.

“Our expectations had to change in the current climate, but we are getting there,” Mr Pullen said.

“We are doing the right things for the long term health of the brand and the business, but we're having to change our short-term tactics to protect our volumes.”

The decision to go ahead with a £3m brand revamp followed the bird flu outbreak at its Holton plant in Suffolk two years ago and the attack by Jamie Oliver on Turkey Twizzlers in 2005.

“From the research we've undertaken, the campaign has begun the work of rebuilding the consumer trust that had been damaged in the last few years," Mr Pullen said.

“It has begun to address some of the concerns some people had over our British farming credentials and some of the issues over welfare standards that had been in the public eye and our product quality.

“The campaign began with a corporate national poster saying that our turkeys were 100pc born and bred in Britain.

“It might be a simple message, but it was new news to many people. That moved on to advertising the quality of our cooked meats, particularly in the women's press: 100pc British, no artificial colours and flavours. That has really resonated with people.

“The third phase was the TV campaign around the launch of the 'Big Green Tick' - that carried all of our positive messages about our brand, but it also conveyed in a bold and confident way the repositioning of the brand and using the people who work for our company to convey those messages.

“The research has shown that people are seeing the campaign as very strong and very believable and honest - largely because the messages are carried by the employees of the company.

“We've put a human face back on our business that had been lacking.

“It's not going to address everything overnight for everyone, but it's started that journey.

“For us, we want to reposition ourselves in the mid-market and the kind of arena where the likes of Kelloggs and PG Tips compete.”

Source: Eastern Daily Press