Maple Leaf Foods

Maple Leaf Foods had spent the previous 18 months recovering from one of the largest recalls in Canadian history. By the end of 2009, while the company had gained back some trust, the brand was still suffering from declining sales and equity on measures like quality, taste perceptions and confidence in their products.

The target was busy moms, who tend to listen to the advice of experts. Maple Leaf had over 500 accredited butchers, so the idea was that it would be known as “Your Butcher Shop.”

TV and radio focused on demonstrating the Maple Leaf butcher’s expertise either through his craft (“Jack of All Trades” on TV) or how he makes life easier (“The Meals of Our Lives” on the radio). The butcher also communicated new product innovation, as seen in the TV spot “Stephanie Potter,” which launched Natural Selections, deli meat without artificial additives or preservatives.

Q1 of 2011 was the first quarter in the last nine that Maple Leaf returned positive business results for related categories. Perhaps more importantly, consumers were coming back to the Maple Leaf brand, as demonstrated by loyalty scores improving six percentage points from 37% before the campaign to 43% in 2011.