farmbake research
ernest adam’s research
Brand Research
Swot Analysis
Brand Research
Swot Analysis
Farmbake is an Australian owned and operated biscuit brand that distributes its products throughout Australia and New Zealand. They have a range of 8 flavours including Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Fudge, Peanut Brownies, Butter Shortbread, Crunchy Oat & Fruit, Golden Crunch, White Choc and Triple Choc.
Strengths Farmbake does a really good job of balancing taste and quality with value and affordability. This is important as they are targeting families to buy their product. It’s very accessible and convenient for a family as it comes in a bag and in bulk.
Ernest Adams (EA) produces a range of ready-made slices, sponges, loaf cakes, biscuits, desserts (brandy snaps, eclairs, profiteroles,meringues) and seasonal products. The brand is the number one selling Christmas brand of ready-made goods which includes Christmas cakes, puddings, fruit mince tarts and trifle sponge.
Strengths The brand is recognised for their authentic homemade aesthetic to their products. People get value for money when they purchase any of the bagged biscuit flavours. Readily available in supermarkets.
The cost ranges between $3.19 and $4.00 depending on supermarkets and sales, it keeps the product family friendly and affordable, whilst also promising quality.
Weaknesses Traditional flavours, limited to people that want a classic biscuitnot appealing to people that are wanting to try something new or contemporary. It’s not really a treat/luxury biscuit that is an indulgence. They are kind of a daily biscuit- you’d get in your lunchbox as a snack.
Their bagged biscuits come in a 350g bag, made in New Zealand from imported and local ingredients. Their flavours include Apricot Chocolate, Triple Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Shortbread, Peanut Brownie and Anzac. The ‘tear and share’ bag provides consumers with a treat you can share with a large group, family or yourself.
Opportunities As all of Farmbake’s flavours are traditional, they could benefit from trialling a more experimental biscuit, perhaps a collaboration or flavour that hasn’t been tried before. This would get infrequent buyers buying their product more regularly as they have had the same flavours for so long.
The price of the bagged biscuits depends where you purchase them from, at Countdown they sell for $2.99 and at New World they sell for $3.49. Overall, the product is around the same price and offers value for money.
Farmbake biscuits are found in mostly all New Zealand supermarkets (and Australian), including Countdown’s, PAK N SAVE, New World’s and Four Square’s. Farmbake is a definite mid-range product in the biscuit market. The brand values quality and taste but is trying to appeal to family as their main audience, so value is also a big factor but not so much that it is on the same level as the budget/ home brand cookies. All of Farmbake’s promotion and selling points of their biscuits are based on it’s homemade inspired, traditional taste. They really focus on the rustic and rural aesthetic to try and appeal to families and everyday buyers by selling them as a convenient yet trustworthy biscuit. The last advertisements they had were commercials made im the early 90’s.
Threats They have next to no advertisement or promotion, and don’t promote the Farmbake very much on the Facebook page- which could be a real help as in this society, social media is the main point of consumer communication.
The EA bagged biscuits can be found in the biscuit aisle in majority of supermarkets in New Zealand. From observation, the bags are usually displayed a couple shelves high with around three flavours per shelf– taking up small supermarket real estate. There is little promotion done by Ernest Adams. Supermarket promotions would be the main form of advertisement for EA. When the biscuits are on sale this does promote an increase sales for the brand.
Weaknesses Outdated packaging which could be improved to compete with the current biscuits/competitors. A personal opinion - but the biscuits aren’t as delicious as Farmbake biscuits. They aren’t considered a ‘treat’ in our eyes. Opportunities They could redesign their packaging amongst all their products. This would take time to design and they would have to roll out the new packaging around the same time amongst stores. Redesigning the packaging will also cost the business a great amount of money, but would be worth it as it would uplift the brand. Threats With the increase in new options available in the biscuit department, consumers may move away from the Earnest Adams brand and lean towards new biscuits. The macro trend of health awareness may influence consumers purchasing decisions and may go for a healthier alternative rather than Ernest Adams.
current macro-trends
objective & the big idea
In order to re-brand Ernest Adam’s into something we knew would do well in the current market, we needed to know what was going on in the world. After brainstorming, we came down to these final ideas. Our main macrotrend we want to tap into is the idea of locality, as it instills instant trust in the product from the consumers point of view, as well as people liking that it supports local businesses and economy. This means it also sits well with the environmentally conscious buyers as local products mean a reduced carbon footprint.
Objective
The Big Idea
We want to create a product that is going to replace the existing Ernest Adam’s biscuit range, increase sales and compete with Farmbake. The range needs to appeal to a wide target market in order to get buyers to want to switch to buying our product regularly. We think the best way to do this is to exploit the fact the Farmbake is an Australian owned and operated brand, and hone in on New Zealand heritage, appealing to proud Kiwi’s.
Ernest Adams began back in 1929 with a dream to bring a smiles to the nations face through their baking, which they may have done for some time, but their current biscuits are outdate and are failing to compete with Farmbake. On the back of the bag is a quote “ Some 80 years later the things Kiwis love to eat are the things we still love to bake, continuing to put a smile on every face and make an occasion in every bite. ” We wanted to bring back the brand essence they set out with, in a contemporary yet nostalgic way.
The sub-trend we also think suited our new brand that kept the Ernest Adam’s values too, is the biscuit for a busy lifestyle. We wanted them to be something people thought of as fast, and convenient without missing out on quality.
Local -Buying local to support local businesses -Trustworthy -Environmental- reduces carbon footprint
Busy lifestyle -Fast -Easy -Convenient
With our new brand ‘Best Made Biscuits’ we wanted to a new bagged biscuit line to replace the old Earnest Adam’s biscuits. This new brand aims to give consumers ‘A Taste of New Zealand’ through classic flavours that have been around for generations, as well as new twists on old Kiwi favourites. We’ve aimed to stay true to Ernest Adam’s dream, through our homemade inspired biscuits, which will deliver a biscuit that is delicious and puts a smile back on everyone’s face, the dream Ernest originally set out to do.
best made biscuits Product
Best Made Biscuits comes in the classic flavours Chocolate Chip, Hokey Pokey, Gingernut and Afghan that have been around for generations. as well as a modern take on Lolly Cake and Lamington. Earnest Adam’s is well known for their slices, so by including these dessert flavours it is a way to tie our new brand to the already existing products of Ernest Adams, and to show that we can create fun, new flavours that aren’t so
Place Best Made Biscuits is an affordable treat made to be shared with friends and family. This means it is very middle of the market, as it is accesible yet not budget quality. It’s available at all New Zealand supermarkets such as New World, Countdown and PAK n’ SAVE.
Price We wanted to make this product in competition with Farmbake, which is a successful Australian brand, and make it so that customers go in to the shop thinking they want Farmbake, and come out with Best Made Biscuits instead. So this is why we have decided to price our biscuits at $3.50, so it’s the same price as Farmbake and stays in competition with them.
promotion When the product first launches, we are going to have in-store shelf displays that are separate from the rest of the biscuits. These will be placed near the entrance of the supermarket, as well as near the checkouts so that they encourage customers as well as draw attention to the fact that there is a new product in store. For the billboards we wanted to to let the image provoke the feeling of nostalgic home baking rather than trying to overly force the idea through words, and rather we have promoted the fact that it is a New Zealand biscuit made for New Zealanders.
target audience
PACKAGING
Our biscuit line is the best choice for any Kiwi wanting a nostalgic treat, or just for someone new wanting to taste the flavours of New Zealand for the first time.
Families
Young Adults
Older Generations
We have targeted families, so we have the perfect treat for kids to get excited about when their parents get home from the supermarket, as well as more sophisticated flavours for mum and dad.
It’s also perfect for young adults who are wanting a classic and delicious homemade biscuit that reminds them of the baking they used to get at home, without the mess and hassle of baking.
We also targeted older generations as they will be reminded of the biscuits they used to have when they were younger, evoking nostalgia for them with every bite.
Currently, Ernest Adams packaging is outdated and is not the first biscuit you would reach for when you walk down the supermarket isle. Best Made Biscuits uses a contemporary take on nostalgia as an aesthetic that makes the biscuits look delicious and desirable. We drew inspiration for the plaid background from the classic tartan blankets you associate with kiwi nostalgia and your grandparents house, which can also be associated with picnics. Picnics are a social setting where you share food and treats with your friends and family which is what Best Made Biscuits is all about.
There is a corresponding colour scheme for each flavour and have biscuits and the ingredients they contain scattered across the bag, emphasising the messy feeling you get from a homemade biscuit. The back of the packaging pays homage to Ernest Adam’s by retaining the original logo and red colour, which we hope will help give the new product a ‘tick of approval’ for shoppers to recognize a quality, New Zealand product.
perceptual map
brand identity
YUM
TIMELESS EQUITIES • • •
BRAND ESSENCE •
Plaid pattern Red logo and plaque The flavour name combined with the visuals of biscuits/ingredients
CENTRAL TENSIONS
Best Made Biscuits promises a delicious and nostalgic homemade treat that will bring a smile to your face.
• • • • •
BRAND VALUES •
EVERYDAY
•
ASPIRATIONAL
•
RATIONAL FEATURES • • • • •
HEALTHY
Name ‘Best Made Biscuits’ Tagline ‘A Taste of New Zealand’ Made with local ingredients (free range nz eggs, butter, etc) Flavours - chocolate chip, Hokey Pokey, Afghan, Lolly Cake, Lamington, Gingernut. A nostalgic yet contemporary brand aesthetic.
New Zealand Heritage- using New Zealand flavours that have been around for generations Authentically Local - the brand is NZ made, and supports local businesses, and uses local ingredients. Promising taste - trust in the traditional and classic Kiwi flavours with a twist.
RATIONAL BENEFITS •
Contemporary vs nostalgic Everyday vs aspirational Kiwi appeal vs international Mature vs young Appealing to Farmbake customers, whilst standing with our own identity and values
UNIQUE DIFFERENCE •
Our unique difference is a contemporary take on nostalgia, which is represented through colours, patterns and flavours.
DECLARED EMOTIVE TRIGGERS
Short and sweet, although • A taste of home baking. grammatically incorrect, reflects • Nostalgic of childhood indulgence. homemade biscuit aesthetic. • A classic treat for yourself and your • Gets across big idea of locality family. immediately. • A trusted brand, buying trust. • Locally sourced and produced products, keeping it local creates a bigger market. • Different flavours satisfies different consumers. • Packaging draws in the consumer as it reminds them of their childhood.
UNDECLARED EMOTIVE TRIGGERS •
It’s easy- you don’t have to worry about the mess. • You want to relive your childhood and happy memories • Indulge in the biscuits guilt free, due to locality and reduced impact on the environment.
Lauren Kjestrup & Gina Davey
We hope that Best Made Biscuits will pay homage the dream of every bite bringing a smile to everyone’s face, back to the people of New Zealand.