Bernard Matthews Unveils Complete Rebrand
Bernard Matthews, the largest turkey producer in the UK, has announced a £3 million complete rebrand to return its iconic brand to its famous roots and make it more relevant for today’s consumers. The new logo and branding has been brought to life through state-of-the-art 360 degree video technology, with a specially created animation of the brand’s home – Witchingham Hall – which has already been viewed by the top grocery retailers via virtual reality, a world-first for the industry.
The complete branding change for the UK’s largest poultry brand will be implemented across the entire company, including its website, Facebook page, email marketing and category offering, which includes 100 turkey and chicken SKUs in frozen, fresh breaded and cooked meats ranges.
Headquartered near Norwich in Norfolk, Bernard Matthews employs approximately 2000 people across East Anglia. It is a totally integrated food business, allowing for full traceability across its 56 farms, which rear nearly 7 million turkeys per annum. Through its farming and production business the company supplies nearly half the homes in the UK with tasty, versatile and affordable turkey and chicken meal time solutions.
Rob Burnett (pictured), chief executive of Bernard Matthews, comments: “The response from retailers and consumer focus groups has been overwhelmingly positive. We are delighted with that and proud to be revealing a completely new look that is based on what makes Bernard Matthews different and great.”
He continues: “The branding is a completely new direction and new chapter in what has been an iconic story. The branding combines the best from the past, with the landmark Witchingham Hall, and a contemporary and fresh design that feels very British. However, it’s not simply about new packaging, this is about an integrated sales, marketing and NPD strategy which helps us resonate with modern families.”
Bernard Matthews’ brand re-launch will also include TV sponsorship, PR activity, social media and website redesign. The new packaging will be introduced in three phases from September 2015 to early 2016.
Rob Burnett adds: “The brand now has an engaging and simple illustrative style, with a look that reflects our countryside roots in Norfolk and celebrates our award-winning green energy credentials. We believe that the brand’s unique story will be better told by bringing to life the world of Bernard Matthews. Characters from the illustrations will also be brought to life allowing consumers to explore the world further.”
An on-pack colour categorisation system has been integrated in the design to enable easier range navigation between the different products and flavours. Fresh coated products will receive the biggest change, moving from clear plastic into full colour sleeves with a window to see the products.
The company, which is based at Great Witchingham in Norfolk, was established in the 1950s with the vision to make good quality turkey available and affordable. The brand saw huge success between the 1960s to the 1980s with faced-paced innovation and a large, loyal customer base.
