Wyke Farms rebrands following Facebook vote

Cheese brand Wyke Farms has launched a new identity, which has been chosen by Facebook fans of the brand from a shortlist of three designs.

New identity
New identity

Wyke Farms is rolling out the new branding and packaging, created by Tynan D’arcy, after it picked up the most votes from the public on the brand’s Facebook competition.

Tynan D’arcy designs were pitted against shortlisted designs from Thinking Juice and Holmes & Marchant. The designs were shortlisted following a wider call for unpaid creative work from consultancies, although Wyke Farms says the three shortlisted groups were paid for their concepts, and any development work was also paid for.

New packaging
New packaging

Wyke Farms says, ‘The company was committed to accepting the “wisdom of the crowd” and as a result has used the winning design for all their packaging.’

The new branding uses a redesigned logo within a large speech bubble. This is backed by a landscape with cows, tractors and an oak tree.

New packaging on-shelf
New packaging on-shelf

Rich Clothier, managing director at Wyke Farms, says, ‘The speech bubble is on both the front and back of pack to highlight our unique family farming story.’

Wyke Farms says it is launching the new designs in supermarkets this month, supported by a £5 million print and poster ad campaign.

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Comments
  • dj November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Well done Tynan D’arcy for being selected as the winning design – I’ve followed this story with interest through The Grocer and facebook for some weeks now (I voted for this route by the way, the others were derivative junk).

    But luck allowed this to happen, not rigour.

    But what a shitty process set up by Mr. Clothier and his marketing team -unpaid creative work, letting a crowd decide on his most valuable asset? Just what kind of shabby marketeers are they?

    Next time, pick an agency on their credentials and merit, trust them and ask consumers to validate that work with a robust and professional research team.

  • Tim Bousfield November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    I couldn’t agree more with the previous posting. The process exploits designers, as well as displaying a profound misunderstanding of the research process.

    Research should inform – not define. Whilst quantitative research is a valid activity, warping this process to the so-called ‘wisdom of the crowd’ principle, seems to me little more than employing a fruit machine as brand guardian.

  • Richard Williams November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    What have these three agencies gained from the process? If the resultant work had been truly head turning then they might have made a case for doing things differently. Instead another unremarkable design goes on the shelf and two agencies go unpaid.

    Never get involved in this stuff. Be expert in your field and be paid properly for your wise counsel.

  • Neale Gilhooley November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    I don’t’ mind the winner but this route will generate ‘pitch winning ideas’ rather than the best long-term strategic route for the brand.

    Plus do you really want to expose your customers to what goes on behind the scenes in the marketing department? You want then to be emotionally involved in the product/brand not the making of the brand.

  • Nigel November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Interesting process, but very worrying for the industry that it was, ultimately, an end result of a lot of companies doing unpaid work.

    Would it also be cruel to point out that as far as I can see the front of the pack doesn’t seem to mention that it’s cheddar anywhere? It could be red leicester, gouda, parmesan or anything for all a shopper knows!

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