Case Studies

How do we get more clarity about our consumers to focus and define our strategy?

Client Challenge

The Vital brand had been the leader in the South African vitamins category since inception in 1947. It had incredible heritage and was a trusted household brand. However, the brand had become dated and was losing share as competition in this growing market increased, particularly from retailer own brands.

The Vital business approached Yellowwood to help them revitalise the Vital brand and to define a positioning that would be distinctive and differentiating from its competition. The brand strategy needed to be driven by consumer insights to enable a consumer led growth strategy for the business.

The new positioning for Vital also needed to represent the corporate values & personality to motivate employees internally.

Our Approach

We started with an insights gathering phase to develop an understanding of the macro, category, competitive, consumer and business context to ensure that the strategy that was developed would be relevant (externally and internally) and differentiating.

- To enable the business to develop a consumer-centric approach to managing their brand and to guide in developing the brand positioning, we conducted primary research amongst consumers to develop a segmentation model. Market segmentation allowed us to understand the in-depth needs of consumers in the health & wellness market and enabled us to focus our brand energies & resources.

Based on our insights from the first phase, we identified critical success factors for Vital, from which we we created the brand positioning for the Vital brand that was aligned to consumer needs & market trends. The implications of the chosen positioning were unpacked to identify the deliverables and actions required for the business to deliver on the positioning and proposition (both externally and internally).

The Output

• A market segmentation model specific to the health & wellness industry to guide all brand and marketing planning and to help develop a consumer-focused orientation in the business.
• A new brand positioning for Vital detailing target market, brand proposition, brand essence, personality & values.
• The macro implications of the strategy for the marketing mix.