Luxury lessons to help build SA food brands
NEWLY acquired tips in luxury marketing are set to help some SA food producers build global demand for premium products, says Food SA chief executive Catherine Sayer.
NEWLY-acquired tips in luxury marketing are set to help some SA food producers build global demand for premium products, says Food SA chief executive Catherine Sayer.
Seven companies have completed Food SA’s pilot luxury food and beverage program to unlock the “dream factor” in their produce to build desirable luxury brands.
The program was developed as part of a study initiated by the now-dissolved Economic Development Board of SA to boost exports through a focus on functional and luxury foods. Primary Industries and Regions South Australia’s report defined functional foods as any food which has the additional function of promoting health and/or preventing diseases by the addition of new ingredients or the removal of harmful components. Luxury foods were defined as those possessing three characteristics – limited availability/rarity, high price and symbolism.
A series of workshops and webinars with France’s ESSEC Business School’s associate professor Sonja Prokopec and senior fellow Denis Morisset were conducted from May to September with Charlesworth Nuts, Eyrewoolf Abalone, Wild Rock Lobster, Barossa Valley Cheese, Rinaldi Confectionery, Kalleske Wines and Paroo Premium Kangaroo. The workshops followed a detailed report that identified current products and capacities and the trends in functional and prestige foods, together with simple recommendations.
SA has huge export potential for its abalone, southern bluefin tuna, brandy, cognac and other distilled spirits, chocolate, olive oil, red wine, southern rock lobster and Wagyu beef, among others.
“The reality is a lot of our food is premium anyway from a food safety, marketing and cost point of view,” Ms Sayer said. “Lessons you learn in luxury marketing can absolutely be applied to premium.
“There are a lot of opportunities for producers to diversify into new products and also use branding and marketing to build on their unique DNA and use codes and symbols (as other luxury brands like Veuve Clicquot have) to create an aspirational identity,” she said.
Participants also got an insight into the perception of luxury branding in China where e-commerce and key opinion leaders (KOLs) play important, different roles.
The next step is to “keep up the momentum” gained by the workshops that have been conducted so far, Ms Sayer said.
“The really good thing is that we now have a group that is thinking about what they can do in collaboration.”
Service quality and significant investment is critical to achieving success.
“We need to find markets in China, for example, that want our types of products by starting from the beginning, gathering market intelligence on matching what we have got with what they want,” Ms Sayer said. A national identity for Australian produce – different from the “clean green” tag – would also help states.
Charlesworth Nuts marketing assistant Liam Charlesworth said the program was “incredibly insightful”. “It gave us a clear overall understanding of where we want to go with our branding and how we’re going to get there,” he said.