New kid on the block - a clean, green brand for a freshly-converted organics producer
The client:
Keilor Valley Gardens was a third-generation privately owned family company focused on vegetable growing and processing. From small beginnings in 1946, the operations had grown to include several farms in the Keilor Valley and a large processing facility. Under the existing brand, Chef’s Choice, Keilor Valley Gardens supplied an extensive client-base and a national distribution network.
The idea:
For a range of commercial and philosophical reasons, the company had committed to converting their entire operations to organic. Transforming a large-scale business to all-natural, chemical-free and environmentally-friendly practices would take several years and require a powerful marketing strategy.
The trigger:
Keilor Valley Gardens had reached the first stage in the organics accreditation process and was ready to take their new brand, Ladybird Organics, to the market. The company looked to DDG to partner them in creating a fresh, high-personality identity.
The journey:
Converting a large-scale, mainstream food growing/processing operation to organics requires re-thinking from the ground up … literally. DDG was engaged to help establish and manage the Ladybird Organics brand. From the beginning, it was clear that this would be a watershed Australian brand marking the maturation of organic farming from the small hobby farmer into the full-scale commercial operator.
Organics is now the world’s fastest-growing food sector, having made the transition from hippiedom to mainstream. It is a real-world marketplace where big retailers and well-informed consumers compete for the best deals and the best products.
So how does a new brand cut-through? The DDG design team responded to the brief by setting out to develop a stand-out visual identity that communicates the key values of organic food – health, environment, flavour. DDG also collaborated closely with Ladybird Organics to develop a positioning statement to add strength to marketing communications. The elements of the brand would also include packaging (for Ladybird Organics all-new biodegradable package solution), a website, press releases and more.
The solution:
The new Ladybird Organics logo features a fun ladybird motif with crisp lines and bright colours – easily identified, recalled and reproduced. Its contemporary, uncluttered style mirrors the simplicity of natural farming.
The positioning statement “Crawling with natural goodness” delivers personality and interest whilst reinforcing the product values.
 Ladybird Organics pre-packaged salad mix range was the flagship product for the new brand. To showcase it to the market, DDG developed a range of carton and bag designs with high shelf impact, that effectively defined and connected the individual products to the parent brand. Green is the predominant colour, again boosting the environmental and natural values.
A fresh DDG-developed website has given Ladybird Organics a powerful online presence. It’s a space to showcase products, outline philosophy, connect to consumers, list wholesalers and retailers, and make announcements. Using DDG’s feature-packed WebCommand platform, the website marries technical functionality with design excellence. The style is true to the clean, green lines of the Ladybird Organics identity – simple navigation, feel-good images and uncomplicated text. Through a clever layering hierarchy, visitors can readily access their target or browse at their leisure.
With any branding exercise, equity is developed by repeating the branding across all collateral. Ladybird Organics is no different. DDG has driven this process by developing a range of business and promotional materials to fortify the brand, build awareness and capture the interest of potential customers. Brochures, press releases and exhibition displays, amongst others.
The benefits:
Mainstream-ability -in a market place traditionally dominated by small-scale, independent growers, Ladybird Organics has hit the ground running with a contemporary and polished identity that says “we mean business”.
Reinforcement of brand identity – a consistent approach to all collateral, thereby bolstering brand values.
Influential online presence – a professional and appealing website where company philosophy, product benefits, new products, loyalty programs and announcements can be updated and communicated in a slick, highly-visual medium.
The results so far:
Ladybird Organics has leveraged from the strength of its legacy brand, Keilor Valley Gardens – its nation-wide distribution network, existing supply chains and numerous industry contacts. Now, thanks to the owners’ commitment to developing a powerful brand, Ladybird Organics has its own legs – its chemical-free, environmentally-friendly products are distributed nation-wide via a new supply chain built on the principles of sustainability. Look for the ladybird and you will find the products on the shelves at Coles, IGA and Foodworks, and a long list of independent retailers and wholesalers. And you may well be eating Ladybird Organics salads at your local restaurant.
At the recent 2007 Organic Expo held in Melbourne, the Ladybird Organics team strutted their stuff along with 200 other exhibitors. Two years into the three-year rigorous organics conversion phase, the hard work is already paying off with Ladybird Organics cleaning up at the expo awards, judged across several criteria including packaging and branding effectiveness. Their Pre-pack Salad Mix won two gold awards - Best Organic Food Product and Best Organic Product. And the overall Judges’ Choice Award? To Ladybird Organics, of course … not bad for the new kid on the block.
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