Having never met Mr Matthew Naylor I don’t want to make this personal but I couldn’t disagree more with his article in Farmers Weekly this week. I don’t think he’ll be upset as he’s a very respected successful farmer but as he said in his article- it’s a free world and ridiculous ideas can be suggested so here’s my two pence worth.
The article’s jist was the ADHB shouldn’t use funds on generic advertising on food. Supply and demand dictate the price. People who suggest Coke, Apple and Nike use advertising are barking up the wrong tree.
I agree up to a point. It’s hard comparing Apple’s marketing strategy to food. These items are luxury one-off purchases rather than day to day necessities. However Apple do sell a digitally weaker product into a crowded market place at a premium price. That’s the power of advertising!
This comes down to brand strength. When we think of Apple products we often have loyalty towards them and will purchase them time after time regardless of the price. This is an amazing marketing model which fascinates me so much so I applied for a Nuffield scholarship (unsuccessful) this year into the food marketing and branding in this country. I digress- away from my failings let’s bring this back to UK farming.
Our brand of UK farming Plc is the Red Tractor. This ensures that quality performances have been met and the product is traceable. Not only that it represents that environmental conditions have been met, fertiliser has been applied to the land in a responsible method and rate, welfare conditions have been followed, in fact the list is almost endless of what it stands for (far too endless people will say but that’s a different subject).
Essentially the Red Tractor is a premium product compared to other generic imports. We have no idea what pesticides have been sprayed on it, no idea if the environment has been considered, no idea on animal welfare. Again the list is endless but if the imported food you’re buying has no stamp you have no idea how it got there.
Yet in high street Britain not only has the Red Tractor got an almost non existintant brand loyalty after 10 years of trying and spending our levy, British products get over looked by imported food as it’ll be 10p cheaper. I am so proud of the product we produce and how we do it, yet so frustrated what the Red Tractor has become, or not become as the case maybe.
I love the idea of Red Tractor but it’s not working in its current format unless it wants to become a tick box exercise. The consumer doesn’t know what it means and doesn’t want to pay for it and in that position I can see why Mr Naylor doesn’t want to pay for advertising.
However if we can tell the public what we do surely everyone would support the Red Tractor. In a world where we put buy premium fuel for our cars surely people would pay premium price for suppior food into our body especially when you also factor in food miles and carbon footprints.
Even if there was no premium price imagine if the UK buyer looked for the Red Tractor on all food they bought? The demand would go up over night, more and more products would show the logo, food processors would demand Red Tractor food and this long term could lead to a premium as this what the market demands.
For example in Australia they show how much home produced food is in ready meals. Again imagine if the Red Tractor funnel was a gold colour for 100% Red Tractor produce and silver for 75%? Again this would lead to more demand for UK produce that want to know where their food comes from and how it’s produced.
Like many growers my patience with Red Tractor is running out. I love the theory but feel they are failing the UK producer as they fail to highlight the amazing and accountable work that goes into the countryside. It’s often said that UK farmers are poor at marketing their products, but why should we? Surely this should be role of the AHDB and Red Tractor which WE fund (£58 million p/a and £17 million p/a (estimated)). If they don’t step their game up the Red Tractor could fail. This would be great opportunity lost and leave farmers open to individual food protocols which would be a backward step.
Let’s get some professional marketing advice and show the UK what we do- British Farming Plc may well depend on it if the market remains at these values.
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