20M
Social Impressions
34%
Influencer Engagement
8M
PR Value
Introducing Finlandia's premium butter in the US
Uncover the power of consumer listening and insights to drive a competitive advantage in the food and beverage, consumer goods industry.
The Brief
When Finnish multi-billion dollar dairy company Valio made plans to launch a new butter brand in the U.S., it tasked TOP with developing a strategy to position the new brand as an exciting, premium product in a largely commoditized market. Because the brand’s launch marked the first time that this quality of Finnish butter was available for North American purchase, the brand not only needed to convey why Finnish butter is better, but also why U.S. consumers should pay its premium price. Further adding to the challenge was the strong market position of Kerrygold Irish butter — a popular competitor with a high quality product that already had a strong following.
The Execution
TOP created a robust mass media and social media listening program to find audiences for Finlandia butter that were currently underserved. After determining that a small group of the baking community recognized that better butter resulted in better baked goods, TOP researched other ways that better butter improves baking, cooking, and eating — plus how to communicate those ways to a much broader audience. To visualize the brand strategy, TOP employed traditional iconography, photos, and graphics that evoked a sense of traditional and long-lasting European quality but with more modern and bold appeal.
The Result
To express the new brand in mass media, influencer, and social media programs, TOP’s brand messaging highlighted “the purest fresh milk from Finnish family-owned farms,”’ as a powerful indicator of small-batch butter quality. With a motivational and inspirational message to “be your best baker,” the new brand made a strong U.S. launch — resulting in a cult following among butter fans across the U.S. #MooMondays was a top social hashtag, with hundreds of posts and user generated content. Social reach grew by 50X – from 2,000 to 100,000 across all channels. Nation-wide consumer and trade magazines covered our butter index and infographics, with value near $10 million.
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