You will soon find both Kent and Blue Seal brands on our packaging instead of separate packaging for each brand. We will also implement this change in other business areas, for example, advertising, digital marketing, apparel, and merchandise. Additionally, we will ensure that certain Kent and Blue Seal branded items like apparel merchandise will remain available in your regions. Some Kent product lines will not adopt the Unified Brand Strategy due to the strong reputation of the Kent brand in those categories. Similarly, product lines without Kent or Blue Seal branding may not receive these brands/trust marks with the new branding strategy. Your TSM has specific information regarding which product families are transitioning to the UBS.
Why is it the right time to change our brand strategy?
We decided to change our strategy for several reasons that are quite compelling.
-
- Blue Seal and Kent, once limited by regional branding, now have considerable equity in both regions. Unifying both brands on packaging and signage opens new opportunities in the marketplace.
- Several product families in both brands offer little differentiation besides the logo. Both stand for high-quality, trusted animal nutrition – guaranteed.
- In many cases, consolidating brands simplifies decision-making, advertising, and supply chain for channel partners and consumers. Product availability and freshness will improve, and consumer confusion will decrease.
- Combining the volumes of Kent and Blue Seal bags will help us purchase at a larger scale, mitigate supplier cost increases and inflation, and reduce the number of products in shared bags.
- Our unified brand strategy was well received with the launch of Field and Farm, giving us additional confidence to expand the strategy further.
What do you mean by “UBS packaging, bags or products”?
UBS packaging/bags/products will feature the Kent and Blue Seal brands/trust marks.
How is KNG managing through old and new UBS bag transitions?
Two key factors guide the transition timing of individual products or product families.
- When old packaging (pre-UBS) runs out.
- Does the UBS package require a new UPC and Product Code?
The transition is easy and smooth if we run out of old packaging, and the second factor does not apply. Generally, we keep 6-12 months of package inventory on hand. In some case, it is less, and, in some cases, it is more. The transition of these products began last fall. However, the following product families require a change in UPC and Product Code due to some channel partners’ system intricacies.
- Home Fresh
- Sentinel, Sentinel XT, Sentinel Care
- Inspire and Inspire PEAK
Although our goal is to simplify the supply chain in the long run, we can expect more complexity in the short term during this transition. In many cases, it is necessary to transition to the new Home Fresh, Sentinel, or Inspire UBS bags simultaneously.
Will the new UBS bags/products have new UPC and Product Codes?
Only Home Fresh, Sentinel, Sentinel XT, Sentinel Care, Inspire, and Inspire Peak will have new UPCs and Product Codes.
When can you expect to receive new UBS bags?
It’s difficult to give a precise estimate regarding the arrival of the new UBS packaging. Several product families not requiring UPC and Product Code changes have begun to transition as flow-through. We expect to continue through the balance of the year.
Most product families that require new UPC and Product Codes will begin to transition to the new UBS bags as early as June and continue through the balance of the year.
There are a few products that will transition to new UBS packaging with new UPC and Product Codes as early as next month (March). Please keep an eye out for future updates regarding changes to the UBS package/codes.
How will you communicate when bag changes are coming?
We will keep you informed as we near the release dates of our UBS products. Our main mode of communication will be through regular dealer updates and special announcements to ensure that all necessary information is conveyed effectively. Your TSM will receive the same information and can assist with any required details.
Besides new UBS packaging, what other changes can we expect with this new brand strategy?
You may have noticed that we have combined some marketing and sales materials into a single brochure for Kent and Blue Seal products. This is part of our ongoing effort to transition all UBS product families. We now offer Kent/Blue Seal versions of apparel and merchandise, as well as separate versions for Kent and Blue Seal products. In the future, advertising materials and creative will feature both Kent and Blue Seal logos for USB products.
On February 5th, both kentfeeds.com and blueseal.com were merged into a single website for Kent and Blue Seal. The updated packaging for UBS products is now displayed in the product images, and the species or product family pages have been refreshed to showcase the latest offerings.
Will we be forced to change signage?
Absolutely not! This is not mandatory. Some dealerships may choose to display both brands/trust marks or add extra Kent/Blue Seal signage. Dealer signage will remain the dealer’s choice. We’re here to support both signage choices.
As previously stated, some items, such as merchandise, apparel, and letterhead, will be available in all formats (Kent, Blue Seal, and UBS versions). As we exhaust the supply of Kent and Blue Seal specific sales literature, only new UBS versions will be available for UBS products. These items are all accessible through KNG Central.
In summary, we hope the information provided has been helpful as KNG embarks on this transformative brand strategy change. We will provide regular updates as we approach the transition of our bags.