Gratterpalm gives ASDA's George Baby aaah factor

SDA is rebranding George Baby, its baby clothes brand, in a bid to appeal more strongly to first-time mums and mums with newborns.

Independent retail agency gratterpalm has created a fresh identity for packaging and merchandising, as well as an all-new in-store George Baby shop environment currently being trialled in ASDA's non-food ASDA Living stores.

The work has led to gratterpalm's appointment as brand guardians for George Baby.

ASDA first briefed gratterpalm in November last year.

It wanted to address the fact that although George Baby had a healthy market share, and was number one in its category in terms of volume sales, the majority of its customers were experienced, second-time mums of children over six months old.

ASDA felt that its high-quality product was being let down in part by the packaging and shopping experience.

The brief was therefore to show new mums that George Baby is a team of baby experts who understand both mum and newborn baby; to change their perceptions of the brand and gain their trust; and to demonstrate that George Baby represents both value and quality.

Asda wanted to emphasise the excellent quality of the products, and to ensure that new mums would find the George Baby shopping experience pleasant and acceptable.

In response, gratterpalm has developed a new identity for George Baby that comprises a softer colour palette, a contemporary font entirely in lowercase, and inspiring photography of babies with a real 'aaah factor'.

In-store, it has created high-level friezes not only to act as an important navigational tool for customers, but also to set the scene for a department that encourages shoppers to immerse themselves in the world of baby.

Hanging signs and gondola headers also help mums to find their way around the department, making the different ranges easier to identify.

Fact tags and shelf barkers feature throughout the department, giving detailed information on products in order to persuade customers that the Asda and George Baby teams really are experts.

For example, to help parents choose the most appropriate car seat for their child, there is a car seat comparison table together with a useful height chart.

The first 'Baby shop' went on trial in ASDA Living's Crown Point store in Leeds in March, and is being rolled out to two further ASDA Living stores this month.

Meanwhile the new George Baby design, packaging and labelling will be rolled out across the ASDA chain, and will tie in with an above-the-line press campaign.

In addition, gratterpalm is working with the ASDA Nursery team, which is launching a new range of nursery equipment this year, to ensure consistency between clothing and non-clothing brands.

Sonia Whiteley-Guest, Head of Marketing for George, said: "The impact of the new branding has an instant uplifting effect on the quality perception of the product.

"Overall, the re-branding has propelled George into the newborn baby market and enabled us to demonstrate our credibility in this arena".

Gareth Healey, Managing Director at gratterpalm, said: "First-time mums are looking for quality and reassurance, so it was important that they could trust the brand.

"George Baby already had great products, but in highlighting the product quality and the brand's baby expertise, we are now encouraging these customers in-store".

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