OATLY

We were recently given a project of researching into an interesting non-fashion company and the one I chose was Oatly. I chose this brand because I actually drink chocolate oat milk most days in my iced mocha, it's also the milk we have at my dads for all uses. It was my dad that introduced me to Oatly as he loves it and uses it all the time in his coffees and refuses to use any other brand.

I started off my research by looking on their about page on their website, these were the key points that stood out to me,

'Our sole purpose as a company is to make it easy for people to turn what they eat and drink into personal moments of healthy joy without recklessly taxing the planets resources in the process'

'Founded in 1990's and is based on Swedish research from Lund University'

'The company's patented enzme technology copies natures own process and turns fibre rich oats into nutritional liquid food that is perfectly designed for humans'

'The Swedish company remains independent and dedicated to upgrading lives of individuals and the general well being of the planet'

'Operates out of the southern region of Sweden with headquaters in Malmo and production and development centre situated in Landskrona'

'Available in more than 20 countries throughout Europe and Asia'

There message is very clear that they are all natural and are trying to benefit not just people but the planet which is very necessary at the moment.

Products

I then looked at their product range as I wasn't sure if I was aware of the whole range they offer, I was suprised the find that they offer so much more than I knew. They have 10 different flavours and variations of milks including skinny, barista, chocolate and even orange&mango. They also have 6 'on the go' products including coffees, matcha and smaller oat drinks. As well they have 5 Oatgurts which are different flavoured drinkable oat yogurts. They even sell 7 variations of cooking ingredients including cream, creme fraiche and custards. And their newest edition is 6 different flavoured oat milk ice creams. So there really is a product for everyone and everything, they have really expanded their range so that consumers can stay commited to the one brand to get all of their Oat products.

Packaging

One of my favourite things about Oatly is their unique packaging. They usually use bright colours and bold fonts which really helps the product to stand out on a shelf becuase usually milk cartons are very boring and people tend to stick to what they know so they would need to be pursuaded to have a look at this new product. They have a very humorous, relaxed tone in all of the writing on the packaging, very much just saying it how it is, which is very benefical because they seem very honest which is something consumers really look for now. It's also very direct speaking straight to the consumer which creates a great relationship between them and the brand as it feels very personal. On the side there is a very clear explaination about the milk and how it is made which again links to the brand honesty. The text is very well proportioned with the important statements in bold or larger so they are definetly not missed.

On of the main sayings they use in advertising and packaging is 'It's like milk, but made for humans' which I feel is such a strong message, it gives comfort to those who usually drink cows milk that this is the same and it is also saying that we shouldn't drink cows milk, it isn't for humans and that drinking this milk which is specially made for us is better for us.

As I looked further into the brands packaging I actually found that they only recently, in 2012, created this bold fun packaging we recognise today. It used to be very basic, dull and simualr to everything else thats out there. 'Design wise it was a

sort of lactose intolerant product, so it wasn't considered food for everyone. When Toni Peterson was appointed CEO of Oatly in 2012 the first thing he did was hire one of the creative directors to turn the brand around. Rather than consumers view them as a food & drinks company, they wanted to make Oatly a lifestyle company.'

Oatly began as a small Swedish company, so they wanted the packs to reflect that. It needed to feel wholesome but at the same time not cliched (i.e. no cows prancing through fields or white splashes of milk). The brand also found itself in the unique position of being an industrial product created by science so as a food tech company, the packaging had to give it that 'human' quality.

Advertising

I then carried on to look at Oatlys promotion and found that they actually only do print advertisiments. This first one was located on a wall on the side of a walkway and it has a

massive milk bottle, which traditionally was filled with cows milk so most people would instantly make that connection and know that they are talking about cows milk. The ad is very blunt and straight the point, much like the packaging, so their message is clear. It also instantly gives you the solution to if you were to give up milk, you can drink oat milk which is what people need to see. At the bottom there is a sentence about saving 73% in CO2e so this will appeal to those enviromentally concious which is a large majority currently. The Oatly logo is big and clear so you know what the ad is for instantly.

The next one is another that is on the side of a walkway, it's typed in the same font as the one used on the carton so it is creating that brand and connection. The type speaks directly

to the reader, specifically baristas, who care about using the right milk in their coffees so this is very appropriate targeting. It is also known that Oatly is the most commonly used oat milk in coffee shops so its clear that it is popular. It literally says 'we made this for you' about the barista edition milk, you can't get anymore personal than that. Also they have the image of the carton on the ad so that even if you don't read the ad you will have the image in the back of your mind and if you do ever decide to buy oat milk, that will be the one you grab for.

This next one was found on the end of a building and looks to cover nearly 5 floors of the building so its definetly a large one and hard to miss. They took a different approach on this

one and didn't use the classic typeface but actually made it look as though it had been hand painted onto the side of the building. In the type they text the viewer exactly what their intentions were, complete transparency which is massively appreciated by consumers now, but its also quite humorous and clearly targeted at gen Z as they believe that they won't want to be looking at just another boring billboard. The painting on text also again gives the brand that human feel that they aim for. Although the text doesn't corispond to the carton the colours do so it again keeps that synchronisation in tact. They also again use the image of the carton in this ad which is very benefical for those wanted to buy the product or even those who just walk past and only catch a glimpse.