Macro trend research

- high technology rising => "slow food" movement to balance out => people take more time to indulge in food, pay more attention to what they are eating => willing to try new, exotic flavours + an increased interest in how their food is made

-Increased interest in food that is fresh and local due to heightened health and globalization issues awareness

- Increased unemployment rate => lack of relaxation => either indulge in food, or choose the minimal to cut cost

- Convenient, easy and accessible food in the rise (fast food, supplement tablets, take-aways)

- Attention to allergies increased => increased demand in food that is allergy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, etc

- Minimalism rising => functional, minimalist design preferred to elaborated, decorative

- Increased demand of control for customization

- Interest in upscale experience at an affordable price

- Interest in ethnicity, the exotic

Farmbake research & analysis

Origin

- Australia
- Owned by Arnott's (most famous for Tim Tam)
- Since 1865 => older than Earnest Adams

Product

- 8 varieties, 350g => less varieties than Earnest Adams

Pricing

- $4.39 a bag => premium price

Packaging

- rustic
- main color: brown
- color palette resembles paper bag => earthly, homemade feeling

Brand image

SWOT Analysis

EARNEST ADAMS

Strengths:

- New Zealand made product: “Proudly Baked in NZ”

- Has a wide range of well established baked products such as slices and ginger kisses, etc.

- Brand has a history making it a more reliable product in the customers’ eyes

- Family of bakers means experience in baking

- Affordable

- Laminated bags to keep freshness

- Ideal for families who want a quick snack or a lunchbox treat

- Middle of the range within bagged biscuit varieties- for customers that don’t want the most expensive option (Arnotts) but also no the cheapest (Home Brand)

- Has potential to be improved





Weaknesses

- Colours and packaging do not reflect New Zealand

- The style is outdated and surpassed by newer, younger product design

- The cookies themselves are smaller than the competition

- The bag is not resealable, limiting freshness “Store in an airtight container”

- Doesn’t have an sufficient website

- Name is not memorable or catchy

- Only one type of biscuit in a bag

- Emphasis on being homemade style but packaging looks very mass produced.





Opportunities:

- There is room for a entirely different approach to enter the bagged biscuit range

- Drastic change in colour palette

- Variety of flavours in each packet

- There are only common flavours, potential for new variations and something more inventive

- Has the potential to relaunch itself while keeping customers who are familiar with the brand



Threats:

- Farmbake biscuits is becoming better known and a more trusted brand by New Zealanders even if it is an Australian brand

- Products need to look more organic and homestyle as they claim

- Macro trend of local products

- More people are becoming healthier and avoiding processed foods

- Customers are more concerned about the origins of ingredients

- There is other competition that isn’t bagged such as TimTams that taste better

- Can the average family afford to buy items like this in their weekly grocery shop?

- Farmbake is far stronger in promotional material

FARMBAKE

Strengths

- Arnott’s is the market leader of the Australasian biscuit industry- large variety of popular products

- More neutral coloured and friendly packaging

- More relevant packaging to brand concept of being on the countryside

- Focuses on forecasting and responding to market trends

- Arnott’s is consistent with 135 years of developmental history, recognized by customers

- Large factories and many employees meaning they have production facilities to produce more than smaller companies

- Higher-middle range of biscuits



Weakness

- Less affordable for people on a budget as prices are higher than other options

- Bag is not resealable

- Emphasis on being homemade when packaging makes it look mass produced

- Packaging is not environmentally sustainable

- Have no variety in flavours



Opportunity

- Could go for a more environmentally friendly approach in regards to packaging and production while still keeping the rustic country style

- Create new and interesting flavours



Threats

- Other brands may continue to lower their prices

- Earnest Adams or Homebrand could make their product slightly more upmarket increasing the completion between the brands

- People may decide to eat healthier and stop buying processed foods

- Start preferring actual homemade cookies to store bought

- Macro trends towards local, New Zealand made products

Brand Research

BRAND RESEARCH

Ernest Adams


General:




From Goodman Fielder


Ernest Adams is New Zealand's leading sweet-baked brand offering consumers a range of delicious baked goods available through grocery outlets.


As New Zealand's favorite bakery brand it provides delicious sweet alternatives to baking with ready made cakes, desserts and Christmas baking. The range includes slices, loaves, cookies, éclairs, brandy snaps, meringues, profiteroles, cakes, sponges, puddings and tarts.


Ernest Adams established a New Zealand baking business in the 1920s. English-born Adams came from a family of bakers who immigrated to Australia and where under his father's name, Herbert Adams is a large Australian food company.


(http://www.goodmanfielder.co.nz/index.php?q=node/50)






History


The company was established in Christchurch by Ernest Alfred Adams, an English-born baker, in the early 1920s. His father, Herbert Adams, was the founder of a large Australian-based food company. The company was originally called Adams Bruce Limited, with Adams in partnership with Christchurch baker Hugh Bruce. The company grew rapidly, with bakeries in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin by the time of Bruce's retirement in 1929. Following Bruce's retirement, the company was split, with Adams Bruce operating in the North Island and a new company, Ernest Adams Ltd., taking over the South Island arm of the business. Despite his official retirement, Bruce continued to work for the company as manager of the Christchurch factory until his death in 1939.

















Design:


- Plastic/Foil-like bag


- Nostalgic imagery: Checkered teatowel, red cooking tin.


- Evokes a sense of Homemade but a tad too try-hard, overselling. Too serious


- NZ Made stamp; too understated, needs to be more pronounced.


- cardboard boxes for other goods, inviting to consumers as can see goods inside.






Macrotrends To Consider:


(These are global trends that are current with today, that consumers naturally begin to adhere to without consciousness)


- Balance Health + Indulgence (1)


- Interest In How it's made (2)


- "Show me something new" (3)


- Fusing Flavours (4)






How Ernest Adams adheres to these macrotrends:






1) Ernest Adams' only possible score in this goal is it's gluten-free alternative cookies






2) The story of Ernest Adams' bakery upbringing may hit home for consumers to have trust in the quality of the baking goods the company produces, and may potentially cause consumers to allow Ernest Adams to be an alternative to home baking






3) + 4) For the last 2, Ernest Adams has stretched it's flavour spectrum. It's current flavours on shelves are;


- Double Chocolate Chip


- Peanut Brownie


- Shortbread


- Chocolate Chip


- Apricot Choc Chip


- Anzac


With obviously Peanut Brownie and Apricot Choc Chip being the most "fusing" of Flavours. However all of these flavours are pretty standard across Cookie brands.






Issues So Far:


- NZ-made not stressed enough


- Not radical enough flavours


- Design too overselling in the same bracket as Farmbake






Potential Changes?:


- Take different route on design? Maybe more playful like Cookie Time/less nostalgic but more imaginative


- Incorporate more NZ iconicness into design


- Think up new flavours, possibly with gooey/creamy centres?






Perceptual Map: