Kotimaista - The brand growth story of the year

Kotimaista

The brand growth story of the year

S Group hired BOND to redesign the package concept for their private label brand, Kotimaista, which had been lagging behind in shelf competition and brand recognition. It had received poor grades for quality and taste and both usage rate and customer awareness were considerably lower than its competitors.

After BOND simplified the package design, Kotimaista increased in popularity and its reputation grew from the 106th most valuable brand in 2019 to 28th in 2020. Brand awareness increased from 62% to 94% and the usage rate from 54% to 86%. Likewise, all brand perception metrics experienced a considerable boost, with Kotimaista ranking first in price, clarity of information and perception as a domestic brand, and second in taste and quality.

More Info

client:

S Group (SOK)

contributions:

Brand strategy

Brand identity

Packaging design

Art direction

Graphic design

awards:

Gold Effie Finland, 2021

Best of Finnish Advertising and Design, Gold Award, 2020

Dieline Awards Silver, 2021

industry:

Retail

results:

• 32% increase in usage rate

• 32% increase in brand awareness

• From 106th to 28th most valuable brand

• +14% sales above the market index

Ambitious yet achievable goals

The vast majority of Finns value domestically produced food for its quality and purity. However, many are reluctant to pay more for domestic products. The Kotimaista brand is targeted at the “Finnish food lover” in all of us, and thanks to its affordability, everyone can now buy them. In the beginning of the project, clear objectives were pointed out: • Position Kotimaista brand to become the reason to choose S Group markets as the shopping place; increase the usage rate from 54% to 75%. • Reach the same level of brand awareness as the most well-known private label brands, from 62% to 90%. • Develop the selection image of the grocery store; Affordability from 81% to 85% and Quality from 75% to 85%

Clear design system enables flexibility

The cornerstones of the design concept are blue as the main colour, delicious images, fun illustrations, clear product naming and custom typography. The hierarchy between these is built to be flexible in a way that suits each category. Each product recognisably represents the Kotimaista brand without compromising its category. The design concept was made to fit the commonly used packaging formats in order to keep the price low. Blue was used as the main colour in order to achieve recognisability in different categories and make shopping easier. Blue also communicates Finnish identity and increases the feeling of quality. Desirability was improved with portion images and illustrations, aiming to make even affordable domestic food look delicious. Several creative solutions within the concept deviate from conventions, giving the impression of high quality despite the low price, thus withstanding examination all the way to the table.

From 106th to 28th most valuable brand

Customers quickly started favouring the brand and its reputation has grown rapidly, climbing from the 106th most valuable brand in 2019 to the 28th in 2020, making it the fastest growing brand of the year.

+14% sales above the market index

Just 12 weeks after the launch, 7% more customers chose Kotimaista in their most recent supermarket visit. Overall, the total sales were 14% above the market index.

Becoming the top private label brand

According to a 2020 study about private label grocery brands, Kotimaista brand awareness has increased from 69% to 94% in the span of 12 months, taking the number three spot in the market. Additionally, the usage rate increased from 54% to 86% in two years. The same study also ranked Kotimaista first in price, product info and perception as a domestic brand, and second in taste and quality, where it had previously performed poorly. Overall brand perception has risen drastically compared with the previous survey, as the top spot is now taken by Kotimaista (8.25), leaving Pirkka in second place (8.04). Today, consumers are most likely to recommend Kotimaista when it comes to private label grocery brands.