Food ATP: fresh brand thinking
‘We’ve already had some strong leads generated from this initial campaign, and are confident of converting at least two of these into enrollers – all from companies new to the Food ATP. It’s been more than encouraging!’
Fiona Lee, The Food Advanced Training Partnership
Context: The Food Advanced Training Partnership (Food ATP) was formed following a successful bid for funding by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). This was for the provision of high level training to advance the global position of the UK food industry. Food ATP was one of three specialist food advanced training partnerships formed at the same time. The initiative aims to bring industry and academia together to devise training that encourages innovation and research with commercially beneficial outcomes.
Key targets for the training are food industry professionals. Although key industry players are members of the partnership, this does not ensure an
‘easy sell’ to the wider industry. The market reflects the general make-up of businesses in that there a few large businesses, a larger number of medium sized businesses and vast numbers of smaller businesses. However a business regards training, commercial pressures will compromise actual commitment. Larger businesses include training as part of employee development, but the smaller the business, the harder it is to justify the cost and ‘downtime’ incurred.
The requirement: As a new organisation, the Food ATP needed to find a way for partners, staff, the food industry, food industry professionals, food academics and the BBSRC to identify with it.
Once established, the Food ATP needed a system and proposition that would attract employers to fund training, employees seeking training support and employees considering continuous training development.
The outputs: Following qualitative research, values were developed, debated and agreed for the Food ATP. These formed a key part of the creative brief regarding naming and identity. Through
a process of creative development, feedback, debate and refinement, the Food ATP name and identity were created.
Design and development was taken to trial in order to agree a wide range of applications and these were compiled into brand guidelines, supported by a ‘brand book’ as an easy reference for the unique way Food ATP goes about its business.
The guidelines were used to frame the creation of a systematic and integrated campaign to generate leads for a range of Food ATP courses, campaign concepts, direct mail, emarketing and sales literature.
The results: After two years of operation, Food ATP is now taking the lead role in a joint application on behalf of all three advanced training partnerships to receive a further round of BBSCR investment.
Food ATP is now delivering an ever- growing range of courses to an ever- expanding range of food industry businesses.
