Brilliant Brands Series: LA VACHE QUI RIT

by Kurt on November 24, 2012

I’m going to start writing about brands I love. And will rate them against my own brand evaluation system, BBI, the “BRILLIANT BRAND INDEX” ®Kurt Frenier. 0% science, 100% gut-feel (my gut feel). The BBI® model has 8 dimensions that I deem important to qualify for a “brilliant brand”: 4 ‘brand coolness’ dimensions (a lovable brand, a beacon of trust, inherent universality, a memorable visual identity), and 4 ‘brand hotness’ dimensions (novel/contemporary marketing, on a growth trajectory, creativity & awesomeness, executed to excellence).

First brand on the list, and a brand that is not the most obvious to qualify as a power brand: LA VACHE QUI RIT (the laughing cow), an ultimate example of what I would coin as “global simplicity”. An extremely simple portfolio with a global footprint, a fantastic memorable visual identity, and some great pieces of advertising/awesomeness, and with loyalty beyond imagination. Connecting to kids and adults alike. What a story!

La Vache Qui Rit is part of the BEL GROUP. The brand was born soon after World War 1. French cheese maker Léon Bel had a lot of ingredients, such as Gruyere and emmental cheeses left over and decided to melt them down to create a new type of cheese, packed in easy individually wrapped wedges. In 1921 he noticed a meat truck go passed nicked name ‘Wachyrie’ after ‘Valkyries’ the creatures from Norse mythology that determine victors in battle. Considering it a relevant association Bel created the pun ‘La Vache qui Rit’.  He then commissioned Benjamin Rabier, a cartoon artist,  to draw up the cow which has evolved into what it is today.

The ‘brand coolness’ dimensions:

A LOVABLE BRAND

La Vache Qui Rit seems like one of those brand one can’t resist. An accessible brand for parents and kids alike. Rare to find. Its personality is about fun, joyfulness, smiles, vitality,sharing, and what they call “hilarious expressions”.  It has a “joie de vivre” that strikes a chord with many people around the planet. Love is part of the DNA of the brand if you want. La Vache Qui Rit crossed its 90th year this year.

A BEACON OF TRUST

You know what you get when you buy La Vache qui rit. Wherever in the world. The product is consistently great quality, fresh, great tasting. Its creamy contents gets adapted to local taste buts.

INHERENT UNIVERSALITY

Cheese. Kids love it. Adults love it. Melted cheese is versatile and lends itself to be combined with any kind of bread. Hence, the brand travels easily. A cow is a cow is a cow, wherever you go. Today, La Vache Qui Rit is available in over 120 countries on five continents. It is the world’s #1 selling cheese brand, with 10 million wedges sold every single day around the globe! That’s 121 wedges every second. Powerful.

 

 

 

A MEMORABLE VISUAL IDENTITY

From the logo to the brand expressions: it’s always about that quirky red cow, with the cheesy earrings, and a wide smile. One glance at it, and it sticks in your mind. And that cow-illustration hasn’t changed much over the years. Yes, they’ve made it adapt to the codes of the times, in a great way!

 

 

 

The ‘brand hotness’ dimensions:

NOVEL, CONTEMPORARY MARKETING

La Vache Qui Rit is starting to own “the world of laughter”, using modern social media platforms to reach their consumers, around the world. One of their latest acts, to celebrate the 90th anniversary, was to get into the Guinness Book Of Records, by creating a movement: to get as many people dress up as a cow. Fun, smart, on brand, contagious. And they succeeded.

ON A GROWTH TRAJECTORY

La Vache Qui Rit is the world’s No. 1 in branded processed cheese packaged in pre-cut portions, comfortably sitting in the BEL group, the No. 1 cheese spread producer in France and the rest of Europe – with leadership positions in a significant number of countries among the largest world markets, with sales over $2bn. Growing consistently.

CREATIVITY AND AWESOMENESS

La Vache Qui Rit is an imaginative brand. Imagine being on the advertising agency side working for such a jewel. Inspiration must come instantaneously. Right?

EXECUTED TO EXCELLENCE

Drawn from my own travels and trade visits around the world: La Vache Qui Rit is in every single supermarket I visit. Efficiently packaged and visually present. Great execution all around.

Net, net, on the “BRILLIANT BRAND INDEX” ®, I plot them as a “BRIGHT & SHINING STAR” (more on the model later)!

 

Thanks for stopping by and reading this article! Let me know what you think – here, on twitter (@kurtfrenier), on facebook, or on LinkedIn. Kurt.

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