Category Masterbrand Creation

CHI Ltd, part of Coca Cola Company

Nigeria

2023

How to capture growth in a declining food market

“We gained market share, when everyone else was losing!”

In 2022 HMT was engaged in a rebranding project by CHI Limited in Nigeria with the purpose to turn around the sales for their juice and dairy portfolios under the brands Chivita & Hollandia.

CHI Limited is a 100% Coca-Cola owned dairy and juice company in Nigeria. The competitive Juice & Dairy category landscape in Nigeria had become intense, with new entrants launching value-for-money products and players actively communicating product propositions with benefits similar to the respective category leaders, Chivita and Hollandia.

This is how the CEO of CHI explained the background to the project:

The Challenge:

“Our market share had been on decline…”

“Although we had been consistently growing volume and revenue every year, our market share had been on a decline over several months. This needed to be corrected!

We desired to sharpen the DNA of our 2 key brands, Chivita and Hollandia. We also needed to refresh the look of our brands and connect to our consumers on a deeper level. And our product range needed visual consistency and standardization across all variants and pack sizes.”

Eelco Weber, Managing Director/CEO, Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Ltd), Nigeria

The Result:

“We turned around share loss and gained market share in declining product categories!”

To make a long story short this is how CHI’s marketing director Oluwatoyin Nnodi, who was responsible for the project from CHI, describes the results of the rebranding project with her own words. (You can read a longer and more detailed presentation of the project and its steps down below.)

“After several months of hard work, we finally launched our two master brand portfolios with new packaging designs to trade from March 2023 and announced the new changes to our consumers, trade partners, and other stakeholders. I daresay, the feedback from everyone has been tremendous!!!

Our packs now stand out exceptionally well on shelves in store and across various channels. We’ve expanded our shelf presence in many channels, and we’ve grown distribution of our products across the country. With execution of a number of marketing and sales initiatives across various connection points, we delivered our 2023 business targets and achieved strong double-digit growth of all key business metrics!

We finally turned around our share declines and we are now on a positive trajectory. We have been gaining volume and value share when everyone else is losing!

It’s been a pleasure working with the Health Marketing Team (HMT) in bringing our business goals and brand vision to life. Thank you!”

Oluwatoyin Nnodi – Marketing Director, Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Ltd), Nigeria

The Task:

Develop two strong master brands and create a Masterbrand system for our two main brands, Chivita and Hollandia.

Over the years, Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited) had been executing brand communication on a product level. Although this sub-branding strategy had its benefits, led to strong growth of individual products in the portfolio and growth of the business overall, we lost the opportunity to create and establish synergies across entire brand portfolios.

Another area of opportunity was the need to use of the limited marketing budgets more efficiently, build very strong master brands, and grow brand equity for the well-known and established Chivita and Hollandia brands. We let our client Oluwatoyin Nnodi share the seven project steps, from the first review to the launch, with her own words.

Step 1: Review the Brand Strategy, refine the Brand Vision & Architecture (BVA), and revamp the brand DNA.

“By conducting extensive research, together with HMT we assessed the different product propositions and nutritional drivers of each of the Juice and Dairy categories, revalidated consumer needs, and reviewed recent consumption trends. This led us to develop the strategic direction for how our two brands, Chivita and Hollandia, could deliver better value to Nigerian consumers.”

Step 2: Create a Masterbrand Strategy for each brand.

“We then reviewed our existing brand structure and established a Masterbrand Strategy for Chivita and Hollandia together with HMT’s strategy team. Next, we developed a new Brand Vision and Architecture (BVA) and defined new DNA structures which brought to life the Brand Essence of each of the 2 brands in a fresh, new, and appealing way. We carved out a new niche for our 2 brands, while maintaining to category truths.”

Step 4: Construct a Visual Identity System (VIS) that communicates the new Masterbrand strategy for Chivita and Hollandia.

“The HMT creative team’s task was to develop a new Visual Identity System (VIS) that communicates the essence of each of the Chivita and Hollandia brands and re-enforces their leadership position in the respective categories in which they play. 

First, we reviewed and refined the brand logo and brand design guidelines for the two new masterbrands. Then, we developed a new VIS structure for the masterbrand and each product pillar. And then we defined a packaging design structure to guide product and packaging development for all future innovation projects.

The newly launched packaging designs for both brands reveal the new masterbrand direction for each brand portfolio, communicate the refreshed brand DNA, re-enforce the category leadership positions of each brand, establish strong presence on-shelf, and communicate the brand & product benefits in a way that creates unparalleled stand out in each category.”

Step 5: Create a new Masterbrand Communication Structure for all Consumer and Shopper connection points.

“With a refreshed new look for the Chivita and Hollandia brands, it was imperative that we translated our new Brand Strategy and BVA into a communication strategy that strongly communicates the new masterbrand proposition and re-enforces emotional connection with consumers. It was important to develop a clear brand communication direction for the short, medium, and long term. 

For the short term, communicating the new brand look was essential. For one, we needed to reassure consumers that their favourite Chivita and Hollandia brands “now wore a new look”, and we had not made any changes to the taste or quality that our brands are well known for. 

Next, was to define an overarching message that all brand communication will stand on for the next few years. We developed “Everyone Has A Chivita” for Chivita, and “Stay Ahead with Dairy Power” for Hollandia. We then developed consumer and shopper communication along these guidelines to bring the masterbrand strategy to life across various connection points in a full 360o IMC Communication.”

Step 7: The launch and the results.

“After several months of hard work, we finally launched our two master brand portfolios with new packaging designs to trade from March 2023 and announced the new changes to our consumers, trade partners, and other stakeholders. I daresay, the feedback from everyone has been tremendous!!!

Our packs now stand out exceptionally well on shelves in store and across various channels. We’ve expanded our shelf presence in many channels, and we’ve grown distribution of our products across the country. With execution of a number of marketing and sales initiatives across various connection points, we delivered our 2023 business targets and achieved strong double-digit growth of all key business metrics!”

Artwork Build-up, Color Conversion & Legals

Our Methodology ->

Nutrition-Driven Branding 

The torch is the name of HMT’s proprietary brand definition model, where the torch represents the two parts of the Brand Positioning Blueprint: The robust handle as the solid position and the flame as the inspiring expression. Both are guarded by the board and given to the management, who shall carry the torch. But it is the source of the brand that makes the difference when you have a purpose-driven brand like Chivita and Hollandia.

How can we help?

Are you a change-maker in your area? Do you have a similar challenge? Contact us here and let us show you how we can create change together.