Supplier declares new battlefront comparison with supermarket brands
A new marketing war has begun between supplier brands and the supermarket homebrands, with a new angle being taken by the suppliers against the homebrand product.
A major milk processor is promoting that its milk does not contain a processing by-product that is commonly used as a dilutant in mass-market milk.
Lion Nathan’s dairy division, including the Dairy Farmers brand and Pura Milk brand, has announced that its milk will now be “permeate-free”. The decision to omit this watery substance from their milk aims to give the supplier brands a point of difference against the supermarket homebrands.
Is this a case of karma or come-uppance against the supermarkets?
In 2010, the Coles supermarket group ran its own branding campaign with a claim that its meat was “free” of a quality attributed to the produce of its competitors. More particularly, the claim then was that the meat which Coles was selling was all “hormone-free”.
Lion external relations director Libby Hay Ms Hay said the decision to go permeate-free for milk was in response to consumer research that found 90% of Australians would choose a less-processed food option if available.
“Some consumers may notice a slight difference in taste, others not,” Ms Hay said.
I always buy branded milk… including Dairy Farmers brand and Pura Milk brand. What’s happening with Olive Oil is also very slippery in terms of the way retailers sell product…