This is why branding is very important in this market, because providers who provide good quality can be identified and the ones who do not provide good quality or taste can be avoided.
Part 2: Show how your brand has been leveraged.
What is leveraging?
Leveraging a brand means making the most out of its goodwill. According to the theory presented by David Aaker, a brand can be stretched and extended and co-branded with other brands so that the maximum value can be achieved from the brand.
He suggests the following ways of leveraging a brand name:
-
A line extension: when a product in the same category is extended in varieties like flavours, colours, sizes, fragrances, forms etc.
-
A brand stretching is when a brand is being offered at a premium or economy class
-
Brand extension is when you take a brand name and use it for a totally different non-related product category.
-
Co-branding is when a brand is collaborating with another brand and they both offer a new product which combines the qualities associated with both brands.
In this brand “Captain Birds Eye Fish Fingers”, the brand has been leveraged in the following way:
Line Extension:
Birds Eye Fish Fingers are offered in the line extension of fish variety, forms and product sizes
Variants:
- Salmon-fish-fingers,
- Omega 3 Fish Fingers in packs of 12 and pack of 36,
- Fillet Fish Fingers in Crispy Batter in pack of 8,
- Cod Fillet Fish Fingers in packs of 10, 16 and 36
- Haddock Fillet Fish Fingers in pack of 10
- Mini fish fingers in pack of 18
Suggestion: As their competitor, Lyons Seafood is introducing a snacking range of food-to-go, Bird’s Eye Fish Fingers can also offer packaging change to sell their fish fingers as hot on-the-go snacks as an alternative to sandwiches, which can be sold through hot points in retail shops.
Brand Stretching:
Birds Eye Fish Fingers have stretched their brand up by offering “100% Fillet Fish Finger Megas” which are a special product with ‘5 cereal coating’ and rich in Omega 3.
They have also stretched their brand down by offering Value Fish Fingers which are not 100% fillet but made with minced white fish.
Brand Extension:
They have even engaged in some brand extension, in which they have incorporated vegetables with fish to make new kind of fish fingers in different fun shapes called ‘Seaside Shapes Fish, Sweet corn & Peas’
Co-branding: Although they have not got any co-branding at the moment but we are suggesting that they co-brand with a famous chef to offer fish fingers with different favoured batters.
Part 3: To what extent is Captain Birds Eye Fish Fingers successful as a brand?
To assess that a brand is successful or not David Aaker has presented the theory that the brand should fulfil the following criteria:
-
The brand should have loyalty of the customers, because loyal customers do not need further convincing from the brand owner and this reduces marketing costs. Also loyal customers promote the brand themselves by word of mouth advertising. We know that Birds Eye Fish Fingers and their other products have the second largest share in the market. 21% (Mintel 2008) even though their products are pricier than Young’s and own label. This shows that people are willing to pay more for their products because they are so loyal to this brand. The brand has been around for
-
The brand must have perceived quality. Birds Eye Fish Fingers have highly improved perceived quality because they have invested heavily in sourcing sustainable good quality fish for their fish fingers. They are regularly introducing new varieties of fish fingers like the Wild Salmon and the Omega 3.
- The other important factor of successful brands is Brand Awareness: Birds Eye Fish Fingers company were actually the ones who invented fish fingers and since 1925, they have been involved in regular advertisement schemes to improve awareness of their brand. They inform their customers about new products through their website in which they also give tea time tips. They continually contact their customers through online newsletter.
- Lastly, a brand has to have important Brand Associations to be successful. Birds Eye Fish Fingers launched their Captain Birdseye Mascot in 1967 of a friendly, good natured Captain which is a very famous association as people remember him from their childhood. When consumers think of Birds Eye Fish Fingers the fist thing that comes to mind is the freshness and quality of the product. Their advertisements also promote the message that this product is free from preservatives, and ice is the only preservative they use. So this brand is associated with freshness.
These factors tell us that Bird’s eye Fish fingers is a very successful brand.
Part 4: Assess the threat to your brand from own labels.
Theory on own labels: Own labels are products with the retailer’s name on them. As we have seen in the market report, own labels constitute the largest part of the fish and sea foods market. Therefore they are an important part of the market and a serious threat to the existence of branded products. Bird’s Eye Fish Fingers. There are Type 1 own label products available from Sainsbury’s and Tesco which Birds Eye Fish Fingers are fighting with powerful advertising campaigns, innovating new products like ‘wild salmon fish fingers’ and ‘mega fish fingers’ and Omega 3 fish fingers which the own label providers are not offering.
Bibliography:
Jobber. D “Principles and Practice of Marketing” 2001, Maidenhead, Mcgraw Hill publishing Company.
