Saf-Instant by Lesaffre

Lesaffre

Helping SAF-Instant rise in the Middle East

The Case

Create interest in a non-mainstream category like yeast and position Lesaffre (Saf-Instant) as an industry leader.

Saf-Instant by Lesaffre is a one-of-a-kind brand. As a global brand that focuses on industrial yeast, the products are part of our lives.

So how does one raise the awareness of yeast with the media?

It’s not a product the media generally talks about so we had to devise a campaign that the client would buy into and the media will love.

Objectives

Craft the image of industry leader for Lesaffre

Get the media talking about yeast and Saf-Instant in particular

Secure media interactions and clippings in relevant publications

Challenges

The brand lacked awareness and needed to capture the attention of the mass media.
In short, they wanted to claim their rightful place as the leading brand in their industry.
The product is not something the media generally talks about. So how does one raise the awareness of yeast with the media?
Craft a campaign that the client would back and would catch the attention of the media.

Research

Our exhaustive RESEARCH led to these findings:

Lackluster product category: can be embelished with an interesting character

‘Healthy & Innovation’: buzz words that the media were interested in

Gulfood Manufacturing: ideal opportunity for the media to experience the brand

2020 Brand Plans: included the launch of a new Baking Center

Campaign Strategy

The strategy was built around 3 concepts:

Personify the Brand – An interesting personality like brand manager Stéphan was used to give the brand a fascinating character. We gave the campaign a face that the media could relate to and interact with - Stéphan Béague, Global Brand Manager. His fascinating personality would be a great way to personify the brand.

Brand Experience – Get the media to experience the brand with events such as Gulfood Manufacturing and Gala dinner. The media were invited to a blind tasting at their Gulfood Manufacturing booth. A Gala dinner where they could experience products created using the new Saf-Instant.

Trending Keywords - Stir curiosity and synergy with media buzzwords of ‘healthy’ and ‘innovation’. We created two distinct pieces of news for the brand that tied in with the trending key message of Innovation. Rebranding of Saf-Instant. Launch of the 1st Lesaffre Baking Center™ in the GCC.

A Friendly Face
A Brand Experience
Newsworthy Messages

Execution & Tactics

Execution

Have you met Stéphan?

- We pitched exclusive interviews with Stéphan with key media.
- His wry humor, wit, and knowledge about the industry made for interesting comments that added the much-needed flourishes to yeast and gave a personality to Saf-Instant

Rebrand: Blind Tasting

- Instead of telling the media about the new and improved Saf-Instant, they were invited to try specially prepared baked delicacies using the old and new versions of Saf-Instant.
- The concept was an ‘instant’ hit.

Innovation & 2020 / Gala Dinner / Thought Leadership

- For the business media, the new Baking Center was associated with ‘Innovation’ and the need to train bakers in the region in the press release.
- Stéphan linked the two in his interviews as well while talking about future plans.
- Key media were invited to a gala dinner where they had the opportunity to taste creations made from the product, interact with the spokespersons, and let their hair down.
- The carefully crafted press releases also spoke about the emerging trends in the industry, alarming numbers along with the prediction of training 500 professionals before the end of 2020.