Ad Age selects Signal Theory for Best Places to Work
2024
Ad Age selects Signal Theory for Best Places to Work
2024
Shatto Milk Company
Packaging can tell a story. That’s how we helped a local dairy gain national recognition.
To help Shatto Milk, a small family dairy, become a household name, we created strategically designed packaging that started a conversation at the shelf and changed the way consumers thought about milk.
FIRST PLACE AWARD – NATIONAL BEST OF NAMA AWARDS
FIRST PLACE AWARD – REGIONAL BEST OF NAMA AWARDS
When Shatto Milk first came to us with dreams of becoming a household name, we had our work cut out for us. To most customers, milk is milk. Why would they choose a higher-priced product when their usual brand tastes just fine?
Our research showed that consumers had a genuine desire to learn about the people and places that are responsible for their food. As a wholesome product from a small family farm, we had a unique story to tell and therefore an edge over big brands.
With a media budget close to zero, the shelf space had to become our advertising landscape. So, we used the packaging to tell our story. The bottles worked like billboards to grab attention at the shelf and position our brand as a fresh, quality and wholesome product.
On the front of the bottle, we placed a short headline. And on the back, we shared a humorous (and often fantastical) glimpse into life on the farm. The stories centered around freshness, quality and good, wholesome fun.
Embedding our unique differentiator into a story allowed customers to quickly realize the benefits of a small dairy farm. In the butter section, the cheese aisle, the ice cream freezer and beyond, the campaign expanded. Milk flavorizers carried the same look and feel to help steal share from big brands like Nestlé and Hershey’s.
When the Chiefs and Royals brought home World Championships, we capitalized on our cult following with limited-edition championship bottles that sold out in days.
With increased demand for delivery service, we discovered that we had to grow the business outside of traditional grocery stores. So, we thought, why not bring back the milkman? The fresh, wholesome products and nostalgic feel lined up perfectly with our brand.
It’s not often we get to measure our success in cows, but in this case, that metric applied. Shatto’s business grew in both production and audience. The farm has even become a destination for fans of the brand and school field trips.
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