Gressingham brand change boosts sales

Gressingham Duck has won further plaudits for its packaging, being awarded a gold standard in the Design Effectiveness Awards to go with its Coolbrands status won last year.

The company has invested heavily in developing a recognisable brand for its duck, and is now directing spend at high-profile advertising and on-pack promotions. The latest is a partnership with Hand Picked Hotels which directs consumers to the Gressingham website for the chance to win a weekend away.

In 2013 the firm became the first meat producer to win Coolbrands status.

Fresh duck in the retail sector is worth £45m, according to Gressingham, and it says that its “aggressive marketing strategy” is seeking to grow the market, with a target to get 500,000 more people cooking with duck this year.

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Consumer research undertaken by the firm has previously found that, while 51% said they had eaten duck in past 12 months, only 7% had cooked it at home.

It adds that 83% of people did not know how to cook with duck, and of those who did, two-thirds only bought once a year.

The rebranding meant creating “standout packaging” and giving clear and simple cooking guidelines, according to Elmwood, the design consultancy that undertook the work. As a result, ASDA switched from own-brand to Gressingham duck, and other supermarkets posted sales volume increases. Total unit sales following the redesign jumped 19%.

Steve Curzon, associate marketing director at Gressingham, said: “We are delighted to have won a Gold DBA Design Effectiveness Award.

“With an increasing number of people looking for a treat supper to have at home, this is a perfect opportunity for Gressingham and we are determined to reach that target of an additional 500,000 consumers cooking with duck in 2014.”