Batchelors has been one of the UK’s best loved brands for over a century. But up against the fresh competitors and cheap alternatives that were filling the shelves, the brand was facing some tough times. After getting to grips with an updated, upbeat new strategy, we helped Batchelors revive the brand with a fun, exciting, irresistibly tasty evolution – brought to life across a sprawling portfolio spanning soups, noodles, pastas and sauces.
PROBLEM
A family favourite facing challenges.
Batchelors has been a British icon since 1895. But with a decline in penetration and market share, it was facing turbulent times. Working with our partners at Premier Foods, we identified three big challenges: the range was not cohesive, the products were not perceived to be ‘tasty’, and the brand was not seen to be relevant. One thing was clear… We needed to set our 100-year-old brand up for the next 100.
CONSUMER TRUTH
Among the chaos, people crave comfort.
Like the brand, Batchelors’ audience was facing tough times too. Climate change, the cost-of-living crisis, a global pandemic, political instability, international conflicts… Unpredictability had become predictable, leaving people desperate for some familiarity. In our survey of category buyers, 76% agreed or strongly agreed that “when life feels uncertain, I seek comfort.”
BRAND TRUTH
No one serves up good times like Batchelors.
At a time when positivity seems in short supply, Batchelors gives everyone a little lift. And this is something they can credibly claim. The masterbrand over indexes on ‘comfort’, one of the category’s top drivers of purchase. Batchelors comes out on top in blind taste tests and, what’s more, over half of category buyers describe its sub brands like Super Noodles as being humorous.
STRATEGY
Fix up some feel good.
We had a brand that could genuinely deliver lip-smacking flavours and had a history of fun – so it only felt natural for our strategy to focus in on the ‘feelgood’ factor. Celebrating the little lift that a comforting snack could make to your day, we knew that Batchelors could satisfy the cravings of the UK once again.
CONCEPT
Bowlful of happy.
As the ultimate source of the feelgood, we put Batchelors’ hearty flavours at the heart of the design with an unapologetic celebration of food. Filling up on it. Letting it uplift and overflow. Warming, steaming, slurping. It had to be indulgent, it had to be irresistible, it had to be unmissable.
CRAFT
Mouth-wateringly macro food photography.
Working with specialist food photographer Marc Haydon, we shot every product in the portfolio in macro. This close up approach highlighted each product’s lip smacking look and exaggerated the brand’s rich, tantalising taste.
Source: Epoch
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