Sara Lee and its long-term partner, branding agency BrandOpus, have teamed up to reveal a new brand strategy, range architecture and packaging design for the Sara Lee core and better-for-you ranges of frozen desserts.
It comes after McCain Foods sold the business to New Zealand private equity firm South Island Office in August last year.
The change in ownership marked a good time to revisit the much-loved brand and ensure it remained contemporary and relevant as the frozen dessert category evolves.
In 2020, the global market for frozen desserts was estimated to be $113 billion and expected to rise to $157 billion by 2027.
Pre-Covid figures on the Australian ice cream market from MarketResearch.com said its total revenue was $1.6 billion in 2019 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.4 per cent between 2015-2019.
Research by Roy Morgan in 2019 found a decline in the number of Australians buying ice cream (note: that doesn’t account for frozen desserts), from 10.5 million in 2015 to 9.9 million in 2019 but said that was possibly reflecting the rise of alternatives and the premiumisation of the sector.
And of course, none of these figures reflect the impact of Covid and large swathes of the population eating their feelings during prolonged lockdowns and only having their families to talk to.
Sara Lee marketing manager Jo Matthews said they were thrilled with the portfolio BrandOpus developed.
“Sara Lee is a very special brand, carrying deep associations of comfort and pleasure, anticipation, and excitement for many Australians.
“The re-energised design sets the brand up to appeal to a whole new generation of Sara Lee advocates, celebrating the kitchen as the heart of the home,” Matthews said.
BrandOpus managing director Nikki Moeschinger said, “Our mission was to walk the fine line between contemporising the family favourite for today’s consumer, without losing what made it so familiar.
“This is just the first of many exciting evolutions to come for Sara Lee and it’s been an honour to work with a well-loved brand that has a wealth of heritage.”
Sara Lee’s iconic red and white colour pallet has been retained but broadened to incorporate a dark blue to helps elevate the design, while earthy neutral tones give a nod to the modern Australian kitchen, reinforcing the naturalness of the ingredients.
BrandOpus said the design celebrates the warmth, comfort, and pleasure of Sara Lee desserts.
The strategic design overhaul is in response to an increased appreciation for family connections in the casual dining and entertaining occasion throughout pandemic lockdowns. To thrive in the frozen desserts space, Sara Lee needed to elevate itself to better connect with consumers emotionally, tapping into the desire to make at home meals a little bit special, BrandOpus said.
The new packs are due to hit shelves this week and will be rolling out across all major food retailers nationwide. The project is the first part of a portfolio-wide overhaul, which aims to reposition the offerings to sit under a more meaningful Masterbrand approach.
