Case Studies
Golden Wonder
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Launched
in Britain in 1977, the Golden Wonder Pot Noodle entered the market
at a time when ‘convenience’ was a thing of the future and
noodles were seen as exotic. In fact the brand introduced to the UK
the Japanese concept of 'noodles in a cup' that has since so captured
the hearts and stomachs of the nation's youth.
In
1995 Golden Wonder was acquired by Unilever and in 2006 sold again to
Tayto, all the while retaining the Pot Noodle name. In the following
years it firmly cemented its position within the market, with its
only direct competition coming from own label supermarket products.
Symington's
approached Tayto in May 2009 with the idea of reintroducing Golden
Wonder into the hot snack market, as a challenger brand, that would
bring much needed competition to a stale and saturated category.
Totality GCS were given the task of reinvigorating the Golden Wonder brand, by
developing a new range of packaging and then rolling this new
branding out across everything from press advertisements to bill
boards.
Create
A
creative and daring design was essential for Golden Wonder to
effectively re-enter this category with real standout against a very
strong and successful competitor.
Through
extensive market research we identified the need to build upon the
heritage and values of the Golden Wonder brand, the perceived
‘Britishness’ of the product and its dedication to 'Full on
Flavour'.
We
began by introducing a new name for the product range, one that would
not only resonate with the target audience but epitomise everything
the brand stood for. 'The Nation's Noodle' was born.
In
order to successfully challenge Pot Noodle, the new design had to be
iconic and memorable. It had to have longevity and also reflect the
masculinity of its predominantly male target audience. In answer to
this, we created a unique combination of the Union Jack, a striking
black pot and strong colour coding, giving the brand instant shelf
appeal and building upon the unique sense of British pride. We
concentrated on a youthful, down to earth tone of voice that injected
life and personality into the design and furthered the purchaser’s
emotional connection with the brand.
Deliver
It
was an immediate success. Following its launch, Golden Wonder’s
'The Nation's Noodle' and
‘The Nation’s Pasta’
grew into a £1.5 million brand in less than 6 weeks.
The
continued roll out of the brand, across all major multiples and
convenience stores nationwide, has today created a brand worth in
excess £15 million, a figure that is growing year on year.
The
brand portfolio has also now grown to include 'The Nation's New
Noodle on the Block' - a ‘block’ rather than ‘potted’ range
of products - created to directly challenge Batchelors’ Super
Noodles. With continued new product development and media support,
'The Nation's Noodle' will rightly strengthen Golden Wonder's claim
to be the true king of the noodle brands.