EasiYo aims to put DIY yogurt on the map with first UK campaign
At-home yogurt maker EasiYo is launching its first UK marketing campaign in an effort to triple its business in the yogurt category and tap into the “do-it-yourself” trend.
Since launching in New Zealand 23 years ago, the brand, which produces make-at-home yogurt makers and sachets containing milk powder, cultures and natural flavourings, has sold over 2.5 million units across the globe.
Consumers can make a kilo of yogurt, including non-fat and greek, by mixing the brand’s range of sachets with water and leaving the container inside the maker to set for eight hours.
Half of homes in New Zealand now have a maker according to the brand. However, although EasiYo has existed in the UK for 10 years, it has not gained the same awareness.
Brian Dewar, EasiYo’s CEO, told Marketing Week: “We’ve had a low key method of building distribution but not telling people the great story. Now we’re on a serious endeavour to start communication and tell people about EasiYo.”
The brand is looking to go from 1% to 3% of the total yogurt category in the UK by launching its first marketing campaign, which will involve social, PR, print, presence at food shows, partnerships with bloggers and a celebrity brand ambassador.
The ambassador, to be announced in the coming weeks, is a “high profile mother with children who is also known for health and fitness” according to Dewar, who said that the brand is as good as fresh yogurt in terms of nutrition.
“A lot of store-bought yogurts have stabilisers and preservatives in them, but our product is just yogurt,” he said. “It allows for two weeks in the fridge when made fresh at home.”
In an effort to attract more people to the concept, in September the brand is also redesigning its maker, which markets for £16.99 in the UK while the sachets range from £2 to £2.50.
“We’ve had the same maker for 22 years and it really needed contemporising,” Dewar said. “We wanted to create a better-looking, brighter model with a modern shape that would be left out on the counter, reminding people to use it and helping to increase consumption.”
He added that the brand is also hoping to tap into a trend of more people wanting to “do more at home”, especially among mothers and fathers with children aged two to 12.
“People get a lot of pleasure out of making things at home and going back to the basics,” he said. “Kids also love to get involved with it. People get pride and satisfaction from serving something up themselves.”
