Volozhka — development of the marketing strategy and renewal of the product rangeProgress Company, a dynamically developing enterprise, is the largest producer in the south of Russia, bringing to market grocery products under the brand name “Volozhka”. In 2010 Progress Company contacted KIAN in order to design a marketing and product strategy for their company.SOLUTIONThe first stage of the project was to perform a market audit aimed at revealing potential product sectors that would help facilitate the stable development of the company. Following the analysis, it was ascertained that the following product sectors would be key for the company’s growth: traditional grains that have formed the staple of the company’s product range, grains in a modern format boil-in- bag, easy-to-prepare porridge filled with fruit and berries and wholegrain muesli with fruit and nuts without added sugar. Consumer research revealed essential differences amongst the target audience of this product sector. As a result of this it was decided to choose a strategy that was built from the architecture of the brand portfolio, suggesting the design of sub-brands for each consumer segment under the umbrella of the main brand, “Volozhka”.Under the brand “Volozhka» the traditional product range was secured. Modernization of this conservative brand was achieved by means of a bright visual image based on warm, domestic themes and unusual packaging materials, e.g. matt polypropylene which is warm to the touch. Grains in boil in the bag packets are favoured by consumers, who above all value convenience and the opportunity to save time. For this product sector an emotionally appealing name «Varim, Parim» was devised. Also, the bright visual concept would ensure a clear brand block on the shelves.The target audience for the easy-to-prepare porridge consists of young families who were themselves raised on traditional food but now prefer more modern and convenient forms of products. Since this section of the target market has different preferences to those attracted to the base brand “Volozhka”, the decision was taken to change the name to “Vo!Lozhka”, a name that possesses significant emotional resonance and which is very appropriate for this category of food.Muesli is a product category that traditionally has a target audience consisting of young women following a healthy diet. The devised name «Benefit» highlights the health advantages of the product and corresponds to the basis of consumer insight, i.e. the desire to have a healthy figure. The unique packaging form which has a ‘waist’ and the light, airy design effectively separates the brand from its competitors on the shelves. An innovative solution was proposed for all the text in this large-scale project: all the packaging would be double sided, that is both sides of the package are functional, thereby enabling the brand to communicate with the consumer more effectively.
