Clover is well underway with a fresh branding initiative that intrenches the “Way Better” theme and message across its product line and throughout all of its operations.
One of South Africa’s oldest surviving cooperatives before becoming a public company and listing on the JSE Limited in December last year, Clover is incorporating “Way Better” into its branding, logos and above and below the line advertising and marketing as it seeks to properly leverage its status as one of South Africa’s most recognizable brands.
According to Chris Lerm, Clover’s stock exchange listing was the precursor to the Way Better programme and philosophy that is now being introducing throughout all the company’s activities.
The first phase of the implementation, aimed at highlighting the group’s commitment to excellence, has been internally focused and has become the new credo for staff members. Externally, there has been a “teaser” radio and billboard campaign. Elements such as quality, consumer favourite, innovation, social development and heritage were included in the development of this campaign.
The second and much more customer-centric phase will be a 360 degree above and below the line campaign that will introduce and entrench the “Way Better” message across South Africa.
Involving spending of around R30 million by June next year, the above the line campaign will include point of sale, packaging, magazines, outdoor and television commercials.
The first 70-second television advertisement were flighted on October 7 2011. It will be complemented by a 30-second commercial. These commercials will also be screened in cinemas.
“We have already received extremely positive feedback on our Way Better positioning from our own people and the trade and we are confident that it will also resonate with our customers across the country,” said Lerm, adding that everything that Clover does for the foreseeable future will be linked to the Way Better theme.
“This will include some packaging changes and minor changes to our logo, aimed at modernising our mother brand and giving our brands and product a new look and feel.”
With Yellowwood Brand Architects recently ranking Clover as having the third most engaged brand in South Africa, Lerm says the group’s ongoing focus will be to build on its strong connection with consumers, especially as a respected family brand.
In line with this strategy, the group recently announced that it will become one of the country’s leading sponsors of art and culture festivals by entering into a five year agreement worth R4.5million with the Potchefstroom-based Aardklop National Arts Festival.
This year’s Clover Aardklop National Arts Festival – for which Clover has naming rights – takes place from October 4-8 and coincides with the launch of Clover’s television advertising campaign.
Clover has been involved with a wide range of sponsorships over the years and believes that by becoming the naming right sponsor, it will not only significantly stimulate arts and culture, but also heighten awareness of its brands, and benefit commercially from sales.
“Arts and culture fits our brand and our major Aardklop sponsorship has a strong commercial element to it as it gives us naming rights as well as the ability to exclusively sell our products to a captive market,” explained Lerm, stressing that the sponsorship formed part of the group’s balanced marketing budget and had been made possible through the re-allocation of some marketing funds.
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