The project builds on the thesis that there does not exist a brand that gathers local quality food products though there nowadays is an enormous focus on exactly these products. Therefore it is the goal of this project to explore the possibility of creating a communication concept for local quality food products, create a brand that gathers these products and thereby making the products accessible for the Danish consumers.
To get a better look into the world of local food we need to dig into an organization who works with local food. We choose The Taste of Denmark (Smagen af Danmark). Our goal with this study is to get an understanding of the structure of the organization, what kind of people who is a part of it and what their motivation is. Our scientific method for the study is hermeneutical and phenomenological. We conduct empirical studies in form of semi-structured interviews with the chairwoman of The Taste of Denmark Lisbeth Klode, the famous Aalborg chef Morten (Kok) Nielsen and the members of the organization (the manufacturers). For this part we get the support from Hatch and Schultz. Throughout our interview with Lisbeth Klode and Morten (Kok) Nielsen we find out that there is not a clear common objective for the organization nor any restrictions regarding member admission. In the interviews with the members of The Taste of Denmark we want to find out what they associate with “the taste of Denmark” – as a term, not as an organization. We gather these associated terms in five themes which we thereof create four values – ‘Danish’, ‘Craftsmanship’, ‘Purity’ and ‘Thoughtfulness’ – that is going to be the foundation upon which a manifest is build. The purpose of the manifest is to create a new common culture in the organization and thereby a new identity and image.
A new step in creating a foundation for the organization is shaping a target group. We do this with the support from an empirical study made by Marketminds, which deals with consumers’ attitudes towards local food, and theories by Vetner and Jantzen, Florida, Giddens,
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Bourdieu and Damasio among others. The target group consists of the so called Hedonists (Livsnydere) and Idealists (Idealister). These types are a part of the Danish Creative Class, lives primarily in the big cities in Denmark and are conscious about quality and the environment in relation to food. However, we do not think that the four values are compatible with the target group. The four old values are addressed to traditional consumers who love “The Danish Way” and our target group is modern cosmopolitans. That is why we create four new values with the same underlying basis (our own empirical study) and they are: ‘Roots’, ‘Honesty’, ‘Quality’ and ’Pure’. Besides changing the values we need to change the name of the organization SaD. By changing the name we make an explicit statement that this is a new way of thinking both internally and externally. Thereby we burry the old culture and identity. The new name for the organization is SANS. SANS refers to the fact that food intake is an integrated sensory experience and furthermore there is a simplicity in the name, which correlates well with the minimalist Danish culture and purity and therefore our values.
In the process of creating the concept we use the support of Buhl, Grant and a study made by Dwarf A/S about best practice in relation to web shops. The visual identity, which is an important part of the concept, includes choosing fonts, colors, pictures and designing a logo. Another and very important part of the concept is the designing of a webpage with a web shop where consumers easily can buy their local food and get it delivered to their door step. Creating a web shop is a big step towards making products from all over Denmark much more accessible for the consumers. In addition to the web shop the webpage also includes a blog which allows the consumers to communicate their attitudes towards SANS and thereby we involve the consumers in the communication and the making of the brand. Furthermore there are recipes, which is a part of educating the consumers and making the products mentally accessible. Finally there is a presentation of the different manufacturers to personalize the product.
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The web shop is one of the communication channels but we also need a channel which is more personal and allows the consumers to meet the manufacturers face-to-face and learn more about the products. That is why the concept includes a SANS- Market. Furthermore we use classical outdoor advertising in the big cities to promote SANS.
In our opinion this communication concept is a great basis in the process of shaping a new culture, identity and image for SANS and making the quality local food products accessible for the Danish consumers. Hereby we create an opportunity for Danish manufacturers to make a successful business.