Coles’ Own Brand fresh milk portfolio has undergone a rebrand.
Completed by branding and design agency Hulsbosch, the rebrand is said to represent a new era for Coles.
The retailer launched its direct sourcing model in Victoria and southern and central NSW in 2019, contracting directly with local farmers to supply milk for Coles Brand fresh white milk in those markets.
Coles has since expanded the direct milk sourcing model to most Australian states, offering a farmgate price directly to more than 100 Australian dairy farmers and paying dairy processors to process and bottle the milk under a toll processing agreement.
Coles Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Ronson says the retailer has changed the way it sources milk to work more directly with Aussie farmers.
“Relaunching the range designs for our Own Brand milk packaging is one way that we recognise this new closer relationship and the long-term agreements we’ve made with Aussie dairy farmers to help them plan for their future,” she says.
Hulsbosch and the Coles marketing team undertook a research project to understand and gain the latest insights on the perceptions, attitudes and usage of current customers as well as looking at the last decade of the national fresh milk shopping marketplace.
“The repositioning critically informed the creative strategy outcomes which revealed a different approach to the portfolio was needed to reinvigorate market growth, secure higher awareness levels for ethically conscious consumers and overcoming historical milk market issues,” says the two businesses.
Commenting on the rebrand, Hulsbosch Director Jaid Hulsbosch says it’s reflective of a time of transformation for Coles Own Brand milk.
“The new tagline ‘Together with Australian farmers, helping Australian families’ responds to a new chapter in the business of milk to support farmers grow their businesses,” she says.
Part of the sourcing story is distinctive, as each state’s range design changes for each specific state source across the country. The statement of where the milk is from “celebrates” its ‘farmer direct brand’ status and is described as a “confident affirmation” of Coles’ strategy to bring the consumer closer to the farmgate.
