John West has been a client of STROOM for almost a year now. Together with Oswin van den Boer, John West's marketing advisor, we go into depth about his motives and the brand and its growth ambitions.
Who is Oswin from Den Boer?
Living in green Zeist with a family of three daughters, I enjoy life daily as an entrepreneurial marketer. After twenty years of filling my backpack at various marketing companies, I became an entrepreneur. I hire myself out as a marketing consultant with the likes of John West and other clients. Supporting their marketing department slowly became structural, now we have been successfully shaping many brand and marketing challenges for over four years. Besides my consultancy work, I run the design agency nu:amsterdam together with my partner Pablo van Gastel and we build beautiful brands with a diversity of clients including John West.
Can you talk more about the past four years at John West?
Things did not go easy in the canned fish category. The image and the aging of the target market were two huge barriers to keeping the category young, healthy and tasty. But great strides were made step by step: a strong and consistent strategy, a well-stocked NPD (new product development) funnel and an investment in a compact network of agencies. With that came explosive growth for the brand last year, as well as the category. Canned fish is healthy, canned fish offers you inspiration, canned fish is sustainable, canned fish is tasty. Combine that with the rich heritage and trusted image of the John West brand, and you have a successful combination. By developing consistent campaigns for this, even a counter-cyclical coronary year like 2020 has not become a disappointment, but rather an extra incentive to persevere.
"The ambitious goals require an effective mass media approach."
If you look at the market: what role does John West have?
John West has a role to uphold as an industry leader. That applies to all areas of marketing from packaging design to Point Of Sale, from innovation to inspiration, from media to distribution channels. You have to keep targeting consumers and shoppers 360 degrees and at the same time inspire them with healthy and tasty fish. We monitor everything, because measuring is knowing, in order to build on our successes.
Which partners do you & John West do that with?
The compact partner network we have built around us are content marketing agency Gr8 agency, design agency nu:amsterdam and media agency STROOM. Together we continue to build the brand and work very intensively together. With a clear strategy, short lines of communication, inspiring cross-pollination and fast decision-making, we are making great strides in all areas of marketing!
What are the current challenges?
Our ambition is to further increase market share and achieve penetration gains in the younger target groups, both for the brand and the category. Product innovation is paramount and we will continue to innovate and inspire in communication and media. From young to old, we want consumers to enjoy those delicious, healthy fish and continue to highlight them in a disruptive way. Of course with sustainability high on our agenda.
Where is the growth in the brand and business?
In addition to growth among younger audiences, we obviously see the tremendous growth potential in e-commerce and the many developments at our established retailers. We also see opportunities on the store floor. Ordering regular groceries online is still combined with store visits for (chilled) fresh groceries. As a manufacturer in groceries, we also look beyond these fixed boundaries and, as category captain, think along with our retail partners about these developments within Food.
How do you see your personal growth development?
Enriching my backpack with marketing knowledge in breadth, across brands and markets will always remain my personal motivation. I always remain curious and hungry for that. With the current trends and developments, you also just see that you are entering the next era and need to be prepared. How about the gigantic developments in the international street of supermarkets? People are consuming more internatioal food and that brings more and more new product launches from different brands.
What energizes you, privately and professionally?
I greatly look forward to when we can travel with the family again. We love to explore culture and nature. I also see myself traveling around the world with my wife for months after I retire. Professionally, I get energy from satisfied customers and brands that grow. One feeds the other! There are still plenty of categories and brands I'd like to sink my teeth into.
In 2021, John West is working with STROOM on a major communications campaign. What ambitions does John West have for this year and the coming years?
Last year with John West, we increased our investment in media. Ambitious goals on penetration, market share and revenue require an effective mass media approach. Being entrepreneurial and smart is the motto. With the current enervating form of cooperation, we have quick understanding back and forth, we can move proactively to put John West even better on the map.
Together with STROOM , we concretely define growth objectives and use Byron Sharp's CEPs (Category Entry Points) to provide the right direction for growth and focus on marketing the brand. For example, we are on the eve of a great introduction of John West Twist. An expanded line of stand-up bags (these offer functional and optimal shelf visibility) with delicious tuna and salmon variations. A breakthrough in the category that consumers will not overlook in the media and store. This project once again confirms the synergetic cooperation between the various agencies and John West, in which STROOM plays a crucial role in its field of media strategy, advice and purchasing. The ever-present energy ensures growth on all fronts.
