Gü to move from dessert into lunch occasions as it aims to capitalise on ‘positive momentum’
Gü is keen to move away from serving dessert occasions and to gain a bigger share of the lunch market as it unveils a brand repositioning and introduces ‘on-the-go’ pots to the UK market.
The new brand positioning, which is set to roll out in April as it introduces new packaging, will be supported by a TV campaign, as well as digital, social and in-store activity.
The ‘on-the-go’ products will see the company sell single pots with an in-built spoon in a bid to target “busy” lunchtime eaters. Gü will sell four different flavours, including ‘sea-salted chocolate ganache’ and ‘passion fruit posset, with a passion fruit curd’.
Chris Heyn, the UK marketing director of Gü, told Marketing Week.“Our target market will predominantly be people who are buying a meal deal – so a sandwich, drink and confectionary item or a yoghurt. So people who buy lunch and eat it on the go or at their desk,”
The renewed positioning is a result of brand research, which found that the brand’s ‘decadent’ label was not as relevant as when the brand first launched in 2003.
“We’re seen as quite a luxurious and decadent brand, which was relevant for the first few years [after launching]. After doing our user and attitude survey last year, we identified a new group of consumers to target,” explained Heyn.
“Life celebrators, so people who want to make the most of every moment, make around 30% of the dessert market and we felt were a core group for us to attract. As a result, there was opportunity to move from a decadent positioning to a more celebratory one.”
He is also keen to build on the current “positive momentum” around the brand. Nielsen data [for the year ending February 29 2016] shows Gü has grown its value sales by 24% year-on-year to £35.9m. For the same period, the pot dessert market has seen its overall sales rise by 9.1%, with volumes up 11.7% year-on-year.
Heyn concluded: “The standard in desserts in the UK is pretty high, so our target was to identify areas where we could raise the bar further. Our food to go products are a great example of that, and our brand relaunch aims to build on the positive momentum [around the brand].”
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