Retail Design and Brand Environments for Grand Mills

Context

Agthia is a leading Abu Dhabi based food & beverage company.  And proud to be known for providing high quality, trusted, and
 essential food and beverage products to customers and consumers alike across the UAE, GCC, Turkey and the wider Middle East.

Set up in 1978, Grand Mills was formed to help the UAE nation achieve food security. Initially flour and silo based, animal feeds followed in 1981 to become Grand Mills Flour and Feed. Both activities were incorporated into Agthia when it was established in 2004.

Ambition

Agthia is justly proud of the Grand Mills name, and the reputation the business has grown, both for high quality healthy flours, foods and innovative, high quality, value for money animal feeds.

The ambition was to move away from a shared vision, to a company with a sharper, specialised focus on the industry issues and demands that matter to its customers most. Following a thorough rebrand which we led, the ambition was to develop a strategy to effectively bring the revitalised brand to life in a retail context.

Action

The Grand Mills Feed business was re-invented and revitalised as Agrivita in 2014 and thus came the opportunity to reinvigorate the Grand Mills brand.

The vision and brand proposition is to move ‘beyond flour’ to provide a committed and commercial service, offer wide ranging innovation, delivered through a team of experts and an evolving high performing and extensive product range.

Following extensive research, competitive analysis and mapping relevant customer journeys we developed a full concept tool-kit for retail and wider brand environments plus consumer in-store communications.

About Aeron

We are Aeron, a London brand design consultancy that specialises in business transformation, brand strategy and design. Our purpose is set on helping ambitious businesses thrive in today’s market place.

Based on fundamental insights, our London brand design consultancy is expert in helping organisations define their brand purpose; a clear, relevant, ownable and defendable territory – which delivers genuine value to customers.

With a reputation for linking brand strategy and innovative design with clear financial outcomes, our London branding agency combines intelligent data, imaginative insight with inspiring creativity and transformative digital technology to deliver enduring growth.

Beyond Flour. A new chapter for the regions leading flour business

Context

Agthia is a leading Abu Dhabi based food & beverage company.  And proud to be known for providing high quality, trusted, and
 essential food and beverage products to customers and consumers alike across the UAE, GCC, Turkey and the wider Middle East.

Set up in 1978, Grand Mills was formed to help the UAE nation achieve food security.  Initially flour and silo based, animal feeds followed in 1981 to become Grand Mills Flour and Feed. Both activities were incorporated into Agthia when it was established in 2004.

Ambition

Agthia is justly proud of the Grand Mills name, and the reputation the business has grown, both for high quality healthy flours, foods and innovative, high quality, value for money animal feeds.

The ambition was to move away from a shared vision, to a company with a sharper, specialised focus on the industry issues and demands that matter to its customers most.

Action

The Grand Mills Feed business was re-invented and revitalised as Agrivita in 2014 and thus came the opportunity to reinvigorate the Grand Mills brand.

The vision and brand proposition is to move ‘beyond flour’ to provide a committed and commercial service, offer wide ranging innovation, delivered through a team of experts and an evolving high performing and extensive product range.

Results

Our team helped Agthia develop a new name, simply Grand Mills, a clear proposition, a rationalized product portfolio with clear price positioning, and a compelling visual identity system including a new corporate identity, enhanced product and packaging, brand environments and tools and applications to bring the brands to life across marketing and sales channels.

The brand launched in February 2014 with a launch to 500 industry professionals and customers to very positive reviews.

We have continue to serve and support Grand Mills in their brand driven growth.

About Aeron

We are Aeron, a London brand design consultancy that specialises in business transformation, brand strategy and design. Our purpose is set on helping ambitious businesses thrive in today’s market place.

Based on fundamental insights, our London brand design consultancy is expert in helping organisations define their brand purpose; a clear, relevant, ownable and defendable territory – which delivers genuine value to customers.

With a reputation for linking brand strategy and innovative design with clear financial outcomes, our London branding agency combines intelligent data, imaginative insight with inspiring creativity and transformative digital technology to deliver enduring growth.

Brand Implementation and New Product Development for Regional Leader in Animal Feed Agrivita

Context

Agthia is a leading Abu Dhabi based food & beverage company.  And proud to be known for providing high quality, trusted, and
essential food and beverage products to customers and consumers alike across the UAE, GCC, Turkey and the wider Middle East.

Set up in 1978, Grand Mills was formed to help the UAE nation achieve food security.  Initially flour and silo based, animal feeds followed in 1981. Both activities were incorporated into Agthia when it was established in 2004.

Ambition

Agthia is justly proud of the Grand Mills name, and the reputation the business has grown, both for high quality healthy flours, foods and innovative, high quality, value for money animal feeds.

The ambition was to move away from a shared vision, to a company with a sharper, specialised focus on the industry issues and demands that matter to its customers most.

Action

Taking its place alongside Grand Mills, in 2014 the Grand Mills Feed business has been re-invented and revitalised as Agrivita.

The vision and brand proposition is to move ‘beyond feed’ to provide a committed and commercial service, offer wide ranging innovation, delivered through a team of experts and an evolving high performing and extensive product range.

Results

Our team helped Agthia develop a new name, a clear proposition, a rationalized product portfolio with clear price positioning, and a compelling visual identity system including a new corporate identity, enhanced product and packaging, brand environments and tools and applications to bring the brands to life across marketing and sales channels.

The brand launched in February 2014 with a launch to 500 industry professionals and customers to very positive reviews.

We have continued to support Agrivita, and in April 2017 advised and provided creative and strategic direction for the brand launch of a joint venture with Anderson Hay, Agrivita Marabe.

About Aeron

We are Aeron, a London brand design consultancy that specialises in business transformation, brand strategy and design. Our purpose is set on helping ambitious businesses thrive in today’s market place.

Based on fundamental insights, our London brand design consultancy is expert in helping organisations define their brand purpose; a clear, relevant, ownable and defendable territory – which delivers genuine value to customers.

With a reputation for linking brand strategy and innovative design with clear financial outcomes, our London branding agency combines intelligent data, imaginative insight with inspiring creativity and transformative digital technology to deliver enduring growth.

BEN ROBINSON

First they came for the carrier bags. Then they came for the straws. Now they are coming for the bottles – The way we consume and drink is being shaken up in a big way.

It shouldn’t have taken David Attenborough to finally make people take notice. His usually dulcet tones were averted to a message of urgency, relaid over heart-breaking images of turtles choking on straws and seagulls strangled by beer-can yokes to remind viewers that the plastic bag tax has not solved the plastic problem.

Suddenly at bars across the country, drinkers shunned plastic straws and they began to disappear from bars and points of service. Now consumers are looking to the drinks manufacturers themselves and asking what they are doing to help. After all, one plastic straw makes little difference in the face of tens of thousands of drinks bottles produced every hour of every day – by just one of the multitude of brands on the market.

Packaging provides a vital canvas for brands to present themselves directly to their users, and increasingly the materials used are as important as the labels. If drinks brands aren’t careful, consumers will be turned off their products completely. Earlier this week, everyone in our office at WeWork Southbank, London (and indeed across the WeWork network) received a ‘friend for life’ in the form of a metal drinking bottle, as part of the company’s own #Zeroplastic efforts.

While the demand for bottled drinks is still growing, brands need to be at the forefront of implementing change and demonstrating how they can be part of the solution. Even in countries such as the UAE where, being situated in the desert, “each resident drinks an average of 250 litres a year, the country is believed to have one of the highest rates of bottled water consumption in the world“, people are looking to switch from bottled water.

Clearly, working to clean up our environment is vital for everyone and so this is at once a huge challenge but also major opportunity for bottled drinks brands who choose to lead the way. Back in 2014, our team worked closely with Agthia to develop a bottle for the UAE’s leading water brand, Al Ain, that used 30% less plastic. At the time that was a huge gain, but in just four years, it has become clear that more action is required.

However brands respond, it will require a great deal of innovation. Whether we will get as far as the fully edible packaging developed by SkippingRocksLab for their Ooho! product remains to be seen. Until then, and with demand for drinks – and therefore the plastic currently in production – still growing, perhaps The Circular Economy model supported by Evian will make the difference. As long as the plastic actually makes it to the recycling, that is!

With increasing pressure showing that urgent action is required, the next few years will demand major changes in approaches and behaviours from both brands and consumers. The future may be scary, but if stakeholders are ready for it – it may also be exciting and, ultimately, rewarding.

Agrivita had a successful launch of its new joint venture initiative with Anderson Hay, Agrivita Marabe, at the AgraME 2017 exposition in April.

As part of the initiative we provided strategic advice on how to balance the co-branding of the parent companies, Agthia and Anderson, as well as creative direction and design to present the new product as a proud and harmonious addition to the market-leading Agrivita range.

We are pleased to announce the Agthia-Anderson Joint Venture and introduce our new brand, Agrivita Marabe Premium Forage, from the USA. pic.twitter.com/k4LHFrurVY

— Agthia Group (@AgthiaGroup) April 10, 2017

Beyond Feed. A new chapter for the regions leading animal feed business

Context

Agthia is a leading Abu Dhabi based food & beverage company.  And proud to be known for providing high quality, trusted, and
essential food and beverage products to customers and consumers alike across the UAE, GCC, Turkey and the wider Middle East.

Set up in 1978, Grand Mills was formed to help the UAE nation achieve food security.  Initially flour and silo based, animal feeds followed in 1981. Both activities were incorporated into Agthia when it was established in 2004.

Ambition

Agthia is justly proud of the Grand Mills name, and the reputation the business has grown, both for high quality healthy flours, foods and innovative, high quality, value for money animal feeds.

The ambition was to move away from a shared vision, to a company with a sharper, specialised focus on the industry issues and demands that matter to its customers most.

Action

Taking its place alongside Grand Mills, in 2014 the Grand Mills Feed business has been re-invented and revitalised as Agrivita.

The vision and brand proposition is to move ‘beyond feed’ to provide a committed and commercial service, offer wide ranging innovation, delivered through a team of experts and an evolving high performing and extensive product range.

Results

Our team helped Agthia develop a new name, a clear proposition, a rationalized product portfolio with clear price positioning, and a compelling visual identity system including a new corporate identity, enhanced product and packaging, brand environments and tools and applications to bring the brands to life across marketing and sales channels.

The brand launched in February 2014 with a launch to 500 industry professionals and customers to very positive reviews.

We have continued to support Agrivita, and in April 2017 advised and provided creative and strategic direction for the brand launch of a joint venture with Anderson Hay, Agrivita Marabe.

About Aeron

We are Aeron, a London brand design consultancy that specialises in business transformation, brand enviromental strategy and design. Our purpose is set on helping ambitious businesses thrive in today’s market place.

Based on fundamental insights, our London brand design consultancy is expert in helping organisations define their brand purpose; a clear, relevant, ownable and defendable territory – which delivers genuine value to customers.

With a reputation for linking brand strategy and innovative design with clear financial outcomes, our London branding agency combines intelligent data, imaginative insight with inspiring creativity and transformative digital technology to deliver enduring growth.

Ben brings significant account management experience working on celebrated international brands with firms including Brandhouse and Cowan Design.

His brand and implementation experience includes projects for clients such as Heinz (Soups), Britvic (Robinsons) and John Cotton in the UK; GlaxoSmithKline (Aquafresh) and Kellogg’s (Special K) globally, Mars (Cesar dog food, Maltesers & Galaxy) in Europe; Agthia and PeipsiCo in the Middle East; and Kellogg’s (Extra/Komplete) in Central America.

Ben is a University of Warwick Graduate in Law and Business, was brought up in Plymouth, in the West Country, and has travelled extensively throughout South America.

Originally an award winning advertising writer and creative director, Andy first got involved in branding by writing the first brand story telling project for Ericsson and the iconic green dot rebrand for Deloitte.

Subsequently he became Director of Verbal Identity for Interbrand – the world’s largest brand consultancy. There he created, implemented and helped manage the tone of voice for Nissan, Hays Recruitment, AstraZeneca, KPMG, Epson, Barclays and InterContinental.

Andy now works independently with brands and businesses in all sectors, sizes and stages on tone of voice and brand development, naming and strategic messaging.

Clients include Arup, Eurostar, McLaren, Flynas, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Cevalon, Aviva Investors, GACA, All England Club, Wimbledon, The Yacht Company, Tesco, Glyndebourne, Agthia and The Centre for World Culture.

Andy has delivered post and packages, Porsches and potatoes – but not at the same time.

He has also script doctored, speech written, ghost written and created trailers for Hollywood blockbusters – which is a great education in making every word count.

As far as he knows, he’s also the only tone of voice expert who has created the EU wide sponsorship bumpers for the Eurovision Song Contest.