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Most strong brands are built on a truth: a real and substantial feature or attribute that helps create a point of difference. I've hammered on about how innocent have loads of these. But I'm sure you're ready for a change. Well, this year I've been lucky enough to work with one of the most authentic brands I've come across: Jordans Cereals. This is the first of several posts over the coming months on the progress of the brand's re-launch.

Brand truth: a rare commodity
Genuine brand truthes are actually pretty rare. You know, that brand of "authentic Italian pasta sauce" with the sub-titled ad saying "Made in the UK". Several posts have covered other examples of hollow brand claims, including Heinz "Farmers Market" Soups, L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara and fast food photos.

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 What's great about Jordans is how much truth there is. For example, in terms of heritage:
– The brand was started
by Bill and David Jordan 23 years ago. What is nice is that these two brothers are
still very much involved in the business. Bill and David's mum works in the company shop!
– The Jordans family milling business
dates back much longer, to 1855!
– The company is still based in Biggleswade, where it was started

This sort of stuff is a real asset to use in building engagement and trust with consumers who are interested in "the company behind the brand".

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But my personal fave is the Jordans approach to sourcing. The brand still have a strong and direct relationship with the farmers who provide the ingredients, especially the oats. Bill Jordan helped create something called "Conservation Grade Farming", and all the oats in Jordans cereals are farmed in this way. Each farmer has to use 10% of their land as habitat for wildlife such as bees, birds and butterflies. Check out the brilliant sign that is put in one such field. You can see Bill talking more about Conservation Grade here.

Future posts will unveil more about how the Jordan's re-launch positioning and mix was built on this foundation of brand truth.