SaxonVille Sausage

Company
Case Presentation

SaxonVille Company
Background
Saxonville, a 70 year old, privately held

family
business
headquartered
in
Saxonville, Ohio with revenues of $ 1.5
billion in 2005
The company produced pork sausage
products,
mostly fresh as opposed to
Revenue Percentage Contribution
smoked or semi-dried
5% 5%
20%
70%

Bratwurst
Breakfast sausage
Italian sausage
"
Store brand product

Major Concerns for SaxonVille

The company is facing a stagnation in the sale of its

main product, bratwurst

The company is also facing a double digit reduction in
revenue of its second best selling product, breakfast
sausages
The company had a limited presence in the
Northeastern markets because of limited distribution
The Italian sausage was the one category that showed
growth across producers in the retail sausage market
Saxonvilles brand of Italian sausages Vivio was
available in only 16% of the nations large
supermarkets
The company lacked positioning strategy for Vivio

Objective
1. Successful launching and

positioning national Italian

Sausage brand
Taking advantage of high annual

growth rates (2004 9%, 2005 15%)

Increasing market share and
contribution to total revenues

Anns Research Methodology aimed

at BRAND POSITIONING
Ann

Banks was responsible for thoroughly

evaluating the Italian sausage Target Consumers
Ann undertook Four Step process for research
and analysis of consumer needs, preferences
and values
The learning's would be used to develop a
motivation centered characterization of the
target consumer
The main aim was to increase the profit
contribution from Italian sausages as it was the
growing category.

Research Findings
1) By plotting perceptual Maps it was found

when One Dish meal made with Italian

Sausage was most pleasing to the whole
family and was easiest to be made.
2) 6 different brand positioning territories
were resonated.
3) Top 2 concepts of Family Connection and
Clever Cooking emerged.
4) Choice Between the two were to be
made?

Segment and Target

Segmentation
Segmentation
DEMOGRAPHIC
DEMOGRAPHIC
Gender,
Gender, status,
status,
number
number of
of kids,
kids, age
age
of
children,,
of children,, education
education
level,
level, working
working staus
staus
PSYCOGRAPHIC
PSYCOGRAPHIC
lyfestile:
lyfestile: busy
busy life,
life,
short
time
available
short time available
for
for family
family needs
needs
BEHAVIORAL
BEHAVIORAL
frequence:
frequence: heavy,
heavy,
medium
and
medium and light
light
users
users

Target
Target
Busy
Busy female
female
head
head of
of
household
household
age:
age: between
between 20
20
and
and 50
50
Geography:
Geography:

everywhere
everywhere in
in the
the
US
US

Values
Values
good,
good, nutritious
nutritious
meal
meal
satisfy
satisfy everyones
everyones
needs
needs
time
time spent
spent with
with
family
family
get
get everything
everything
done
done
creativity
creativity

Perceptual Mapping Of Italian Sausage

The two Finalist Concepts

#1: The Family Connection Concept
Getting everyone
together on the dinner
table promotes a sense
of unity

Living in the same house

is just an aspect/attribute
of family life; moments
like these truly define a
family

Enabled conversations
and communication
cemented their
relationships

Given the irresistible

aroma associated with
Italian Sausages, the
product would draw the
entire family to the table

Seeing everyone at the

dinner table reinforces
the belief in the
homemaker confirms
that she is doing a
good job

Supporting Tactic: Make

seasoning more visible
through casing and the
package talk about
special blen d with fresh
herbs & spices on cover

Family
Connec
tion

Saxonville Sausages

The two Finalist Concepts

Creative cooking allowed
#2: The Creative Cooking Concept

them to create meals

everyone would love;
also, use of different
ingredients led to
different meals with same
product
Cooking Italian Sausages
made the homemaker feel
good about herself as she
was making home-cooked
meals she valued and
everyone loved

Respondents struggled
constantly on what to
make for dinner
whether to cook, buy
pre-made or take-in
for dinner
Most respondents didnt
necessarily feel that
they were great cooks
Children: Aversion to
anything new
Husbands: Distaste for
Kid Food
Time: < 30 minutes

10

Clever
Cooking

Supporting Tactic:
Product to be offered in a
variety of flavors & forms
with In-pack recipes
having clear instructions
on cooking a meal

Saxonville Sausages

The two Finalist Concepts

Family Connection

Clever Cooking

Emotional Benefit

Job Well Done Bringing everyone

Jobtogether
Well Done: home made food
+ variety
Togetherness
Creating a meal

Functional Benefit

Loved by everyone

Values

Attributes

11

Variety of meals with proper instruct

Perfect blend of seasoning & spices

Number of flavour combinations to t

Saxonville Sausages