How Jalna topped the market by shunning traditional agency models

Rachael Micallef
By Rachael Micallef | 15 August 2016
 

Natural yogurt brand Jalna’s ‘little pot of purity’ brand messaging has propelled it to the top of the $1.04 billion yogurt market, but the creative behind the campaign says it is consistency of message, and an unusual agency relationship that has led to its success.

Creative director Grant Booker and and ex-Unilever marketing consultant Geoff Wilson work directly on the Jalna brand in a unique agency model which sees the pair work directly with Jalna’s our brand manager Kristy Vandenberghe and Jalna’s dairy foods sales and marketing manager Costa Tsaconas.

Booker says being able to work directly with the client, unlike in traditional agency arrangements, allows for “simplicity of communications” in the process, while Jalna’s Tsaconas says the unique relationship has been a huge success for the brand.

“We decided against a traditional advertising agency model and brought in Grant and Geoff to develop a new positioning for Jalna,” Tsaconas says.

“We don’t have the financial muscle of some of our competitors so his ideas and insights are what sets us apart.”

Booker and Tsaconoas were speaking to AdNews ahead of Jalna launching a series of tactical ads during Seven’s coverage of the Rio Olympic Games.

The campaign uses the topical theme of an emoji face, which changes emotions as it eats Jalna’s new range of Sweet & Creamy yoghurt.

The campaign harks back to the brand messaging that the company has used for more than half a decade – that it tastes good and is pure.

“We saw what had been done previously and we saw that there was no clear proposition [in the ads],” Booker says. “The product is so different to anything else in the yoghurt market that we’re the only ones who can say it.

“That’s the mantra that has been followed through in all the communications.”

The campaign has been so successful that Jalna has become the number one brand in the market, with a 12.7% share in value according to research from Colmar Brunton. In the independent grocery sector and in Woolworths Jalna is the number one brand. In addition, its brand awareness boosted from 59% in July 2008 to 72% in December 2015.

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