How our equity optimisation tools helped Clipper deliver +75% growth
Back in 2023, times were tough for the Clipper Infusions brand.
- Their market share was tiny relative to Twinings and Pukka
- Awareness was limited – and brand-consideration was even lower
- They were struggling to deliver growth
- In fact, they were only holding onto distribution because they were the cheapest brand on the fixture
So, what was the problem?
Initially, we struggled to see what the problem could be.
- The products were super-tasty – and consumers loved them when they tried them
- They were all 100% organic
- They were mostly made with Fairtrade ingredients
- They’d been recently reformulated and repackaged
- And they’d originally achieved pretty good grocery distribution
We immersed ourselves in the challenge
There are few better ways to get under the skin of a challenge than to spend time chatting with your target consumers in store.
It didn’t take too many interviews before our insight team started to get a sense of what was going wrong
The new Clipper pack designs were surprisingly recessive on shelf and failing to stand out in store
The product naming was way too clever for its own good, so failed to engage consumers
The brand’s delicious recipes and differentiating benefits were not being seen or understood
We shared our learnings and brainstormed fast-track solutions
The issue was clear …
Clipper had a brilliant product that consumers love to drink
Their brand ethics of Organic + Fairtrade had huge relevance and appeal
Their packaging was engaging, visually pleasing and rich with emotion … but lacking in standout in a busy store
The naming was also way too clever for its own good. It didn’t just confuse the consumer; in some cases, it even repulsed them!
We also realised that consumers were struggling to read the flavours, so were overlooking them in favour of other brands
The current packs were clearly failing to convey their story…
Brainstorming & stimulus crafting
There was no time to waste, so we planned and prepared a hybrid debrief + solution incubation session where
- Our clients and consultancy team analysed our learnings
- But they also explored their strategic options
- Then we brainstormed alternative propositions
- And explored on-pack naming, product descriptions and storytelling solutions.
Consumer co-creation unlocked a winning solution
Utilising a combination of extended creative groups with heavy category users and our proven co-creation tools to unlock their creativity, we analysed, deconstructed and optimised the team’s solutions into the consumers’ own perfect concepts
Regardless of whether drinkers were Boomers, Gen X, Millennials or Gen Z, there was a remarkable degree of consistency
Clipper’s investment was modest, but the payback has been huge
Within nine months, the first new packs and optimised products were starting to enter the market
In line with consumer learnings:
- Product naming is clearer, simpler and much easier to navigate
- Product recipes are a less complex, removing alienating ingredients
- On-pack storytelling places greater emphasis on organic & fair trade sourcing
Just a year later, the positive commercial results have also started to flow through:
- Unit sales are up just under 50%
- Value sales are up 75%+
- The brand is having to discount less
- Listings have started to improve
- Clipper has already recouped their investment x 20
Not a bad result, overall!
Brand Development are super professional, add tons of insight and value to each project, are very collaborative, flexible, approachable and fun to work with. I really enjoyed working with them on projects which continue to deliver brand growth 🙂
Senior Marketer, Clipper Teas at Ecotone
Why equity optimisation is so important
When the economy is tough, it’s tempting to sit tight, reduce costs, and hope it will all go away.
Whilst this is certainly one potential strategy – burying your head and cutting budgets is seldom the best approach!
We aren’t suggesting you blow a huge budget on repositioning and re-presentation …
But in our experience, a modest investment in fine-tuning your essence and optimising all the key elements of your mix can leave a brand leaner, more focused and a whole lot more competitive.
It CERTAINLY worked for Clipper.
More equity optimisation success stories
Our approach has evolved a lot over the last thirty years.
We’ve adopted agile, disruptive and co-creative approaches and tools; and over the years our team has changed a lot.
However, some things remain constant:
- No cookie-cutter approach: every process is tailored to our client’s needs
- Senior team: we’ll dig deep to understand your challenge and come up with a solution that works
- We’ll always over-deliver: even if the budget doesn’t cover it
- Insight will always drive the solution: every time!
Brand Development: still solving real consumer problems with fresh eyes, still unconfined by conventional market wisdom!
We can help you optimise your brand’s equity
However big your brand equity challenge, however tight your timeline, or however modest your budget – we have the agile insight, concepting & co-creation tools that will help you revive your brand and generate the growth you need.
Give us a call on +44 1491 411272, or connect with David or Joanna via LinkedIn
We custom-build solutions for every client – that deliver brilliant results!