For Uniekaas, the recipe for success is based on creativity and craftsmanship, coupled with innovation. The company is pursuing new ideas amid the current crisis, too. “We started a communications campaign in May, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, to further develop brand awareness,” says Corrien Bakker, Marketing Manager DOC Dairy Partners/Uniekaas. “At the same time, we wanted to join shoppers on their journey to a purchasing decision, and get to know them better.” Customers interact with a brand in several ways in the process of deciding what to buy. These aren’t confined to direct interactions between the shopper and the company – advertisements, TV ads, website – but also indirectly, when people ask someone else what they think of a brand, product or service. Such sources can include blogs, user forums, rating portals and more. Shoppers find out about products by using all of these sources of information that companies can’t influence directly. So for marketing and sales that focuses on customers, it’s crucial to gain a deeper understanding of the whole customer journey.
The campaign embraces a whole range of information sources to help shoppers bear Uniekaas in mind. On TV, Uniekaas presents shows associated with the target group and accompanies them with advertisements. Outdoor advertising runs on billboards that are close to supermarkets. “Lots of companies canceled their ads due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so we were able to hire these at a low cost and run a major campaign. And these ads really caught shoppers’ attention, given that going to stores was people’s only real chance to go outside while the coronavirus restrictions were in place,” says Bakker.
“For Uniekaas, the past few weeks have been an interesting and attractive time to communicate with customers, as during the pandemic, consumers are showing greater interest in credible brands that they’re already familiar with,”
Corrien Bakker has been Marketing Manager Uniekaas/DOC Dairy Partners B.V. in Kaatsheuvel, the Netherlands, since 2020. She was previously Marketing Manager, DOC Dairy Partners for eight years.
Uniekaas is also using the internet to gain shoppers’ interest, with ads developed specially for display advertising and social media. When shoppers with smart phones approach a store that sells the product, their phone displays the latest ad for the Uniekaas on sale there, a move that’s already having a positive effect on sales and brand recognition. “For Uniekaas, the past few weeks have been an interesting and attractive time to communicate with customers, as during the pandemic, consumers are showing greater interest in credible brands that they’re already familiar with,” she says. As the Netherlands’ oldest cheese brand, Uniekaas has a distinct advantage there. “And the attractive price-performance ratio gives shoppers a last nudge towards making a purchase.”
Special digital ads developed for social media are attracting people’s interest. When shoppers approach somewhere selling Uniekaas, shoppers’ smart phones show ads for the product.