>>How a recent top launch is faring

Product:
St Ivel Advance
Company:
Dairy crest
Launch date:
May 2005
It has been a busy year for milk suppliers, who have worked hard to breathe new life into the hard-pressed milk category and give consumers fresh reasons to drink the white stuff.
In an effort to bring functional benefits to milk, St Ivel launched the first branded milk with added Omega-3 in May - a move that the dairy giant described as an important breakthrough for the sector.
Early figures suggest the newcomer is on to a good thing. In the four weeks to August 6, 2005 [ACNielsen] the brand clocked up sales of nearly £57,000 compared with less than £18,000 in its first four weeks on shelf [ACNielsen 4 w/e to June 11, 2005].
Valued at more than £117,000 [ACNielsen MAT to August 6, 2005], St Ivel Advance has received a warm welcome from buyers.
“I am always interested in new products that have a unique proposition and are leading edge. St Ivel Advance has both of these and is set to add interest and value into this historic commodity,” said Kenton Burchell, category manager for milk and cream, Musgrave Budgens Londis.
Targeted at families with young children, St Ivel Advance is aimed at capitalising on growing interest in the role Omega-3 plays in brain function and learning.
Although trial figures remain small, with less than 1% of ACNielsen’s consumer panel having tried the product, 25% of those have returned for more. Dairy Crest scored a major marketing coup by persuading children’s expert Professor Robert Winston, one of the highest-profile exponents of the benefits of Omega-3, to front the product.
All in all, the future looks bright for the newcomer, which will be supported by another boost of TV and press advertising from next month. “As the awareness of Omega-3 continues to grow, along with marketing support from Dairy Crest, I believe the brand has legs,” said Burchell, who is convinced that recent widespread communication of Omega-3 will prove to be more than a five-minute fad.