Meat industry awards its best communicators for the first time

The marketing and communication measures of companies of all sizes in the meat industry not only serve to promote the products and services they offer. They always create, intentionally or unintentionally, a formative image of the respective company as well as the entire industry in the addressed public and also play a decisive role in the promotion of young talent, which is central to the industry. By organizing a communication award for the first time, the Swiss Meat Federation SFF wants to highlight outstanding communication measures as exemplary for the industry and to promote the quality of the communication activities of its members. 27 companies responded to the call for outstanding and successful communication measures and recommended themselves to an independent jury of five experts for the award, which is endowed with a total of 10,000 Swiss francs. The quality of the proposals submitted is demonstrated by the fact that the jury was unable to identify a clear winner, placing three companies ex aequo in first place and also awarding a special prize for a particularly original "cochonnade". One business each in the cantons of Baselland (Jenzer Fleisch + Feinkost), Graubünden (Mazlaria Peduzzi) and Ticino (Rapelli SA) came out on top. The jury's special prize went to the canton of Vaud (Au Cochon d'Or).

All internal and external communication measures implemented or still in progress by SFF members were eligible for judging. These included individual measures, communication concepts that have been implemented or are in the process of being implemented, websites, social media activities, promotions, concepts for store window and store design, customer campaigns, events and the promotion of young talent. Individual measures implemented more than two years after the start of the call for entries were excluded from the application process.

The winners of the SFF Communication Award 2017:

Jenzer Fleisch und Feinkost, Arlesheim - With refined soup chickens against food waste

"Our goal was to create a new, meaningful specialty made from cuts that are no longer in demand," said Raffael Jenzer, who was still in training in 2016 and is now a meat specialist with a vocational baccalaureate. By cuts that are no longer in demand, he meant, among other things, the large number of laying hens that are disposed of instead of finding their way onto the nation's plates as food. Together with a colleague, he created a new product from meat cuts of a coq au vin pâté that were no longer in demand by consumers. This product is now on sale and has been excellently received by the market. Thanks to targeted PR work, it was possible to reach around two million people with the message and, at the same time, to set a much-noticed signal against food waste among the general public.

Mazlaria Peduzzi, Savognin - tradition and regionality in modern dress

The Savognin-based master butcher Pietro Peduzzi and his wife Adelia have set themselves the goal of continuing the high values and traditions of the company's founder Ezio Peduzzi. In connection with the offer of high-quality meat at fair prices and conditions for everyone, the central meaning of the family history and the regionally anchored tradition of the enterprise should be made conscious to the customers. The advertising presence designed with this goal in mind was to have a fresh and dynamic effect on existing and new customers, but without neglecting the traditional aspects. Since all the meat on offer comes from the Surses, the region should also be clearly recognizable in the new appearance. In the opinion of the jury, this was achieved excellently thanks to a very professionally structured and implemented overall communication concept, which relied on a mix of advertisements in the local press, PR measures and events. It also successfully conveyed key messages for the industry such as regionality, quality, enjoyment and sustainability.

Rapelli, Stabio - focus on the typical salumeria tradition and pleasure

In order to meet the trend of the time, the well-known Ticino salami producer Rapelli SA also felt the need to focus on the traditional art of Mastri Salumeria and its charcuterie specialty in its communication activities. To this end, a multi-channel rebranding campaign of the Rapelli brand was launched with great success under the motto "Rapelli: A brand focuses on its values". The channels used included TV, billboards, advertisements, advertising in train stations and on public transport, sponsoring in the sports sector and social media. In addition, the tradition and the Rapelli world of enjoyment were transported directly to consumers in the context of specially designed events.

In its decision, the jury acknowledged that the communication resources available in the last case described cannot be compared with the other two commercial operations. However, in the opinion of the jury, the communication concepts underlying the measures and their implementation are of equal value in terms of the professionalism and quality demonstrated. This resulted in an ex aequo ranking of these three concepts. Each of the projects was awarded 3,000 Swiss francs.

Special prize of the jury

Au Cochon d'Or, Payerne - Delicious "cochonnades" of the original kind

In principle, according to the regulations, the jury is free to decide how to divide the total prize money of 10,000 Swiss francs. It used this freedom to award a special prize of 1,000 francs. The prize was awarded to the project of the Vaudois company "Au Cochon d'Or", which thought about how it could increase its public perception and that of its regional products and thus also stand out from the regional competition. The result of these efforts was and is an original campaign based around the cartoon character Jean Bono, a likeable, self-confident and "cool" pig. Week after week, Jean Bono is the humorous focus of the promotional offers under the title "Les Cochonnades de Jean Bono". Communication channels include advertisements in the local press, the company's own publications, customer cards to reward customer loyalty, and PR work. In the Payerne region, Jean Bono is now a household name with a correspondingly positive impact on the company and its products. With its decision, the jury acknowledged the fact that with creativity and originality, a great impact can be achieved even with a relatively small investment of resources.