The UK’s most effective brand activation agency, ZEAL Creative, supported Yeo Valley Organic to engage consumers, drive trial and deliver memorable brand experience inspired by nature.
During the first lockdown, the University of Cumbria found that Brits’ connection with the natural world deepened, as people spent more time in nature every day. In particular, two-thirds of parents and guardians said their children spent more time than usual in nature1. To capitalise on greater public interest in wildlife, ZEAL developed campaigns that celebrated Yeo Valley Organic’s brand value: ‘Put Nature First’.
ZEAL launched two direct mail campaigns in August 2020 that enabled the brand to engage with its target audience, contact-free. Rooted in Yeo Valley Organic’s dedication to supporting Britain’s bee population through building hives, adopting sustainable farming methods and protecting natural habitats, the first campaign distributed wildflower seeds, brand information and activities to one million people. The initiative enabled Yeo Valley Organic to connect with consumers in the comfort of their own homes and give them materials to actively contribute to its mission.
ZEAL also developed ‘Get Back to Nature’ activity boxes, which were delivered to 15,000 families with young children, to educate and keep small minds occupied during a summer of restrictions. To broaden reach, the activities were available online, providing an important digital method of activation and capitalising on increased time consumers spent online this summer.
The results increased brand awareness and by incorporating a money-off coupon to encourage sampling with new shoppers, the brand could tangibly track uplift in sales.
Lisa Nyman, Account Director at ZEAL Creative, comments: “This is our first experiential project for Yeo Valley Organic, and we were excited to exercise our creativity and develop campaigns that would be effective even during the national lockdown. By understanding how consumer purchasing behaviours were changing in response to the pandemic, we developed campaigns that resonated and took quality brand experiences directly into UK households.
“As well as an uplift in sales, the ‘Get Back to Nature’ boxes supported Yeo Valley’ Organic’s content strategy. The activities drove visitors to the brand’s online activity hub and were used to strengthen influencer relations, providing social media interaction.”
Kate Sharrock, Yeo Valley Organic Brand Manager, says: “We had to completely reinvent our activation plans for 2020 and focus on reaching consumers at home. It was still important for us to connect with new consumers and communicate what our brand stands for. Distributing wildflower seeds meant households could contribute to our mission of supporting Britain’s bees, which play an integral role in food production.
“We loved the final campaigns. The team at ZEAL developed an innovative concept to help us to drive sales in challenging conditions but also reach young families and give them something fun to combat boredom during the summer holidays.”
