“We did a photoshoot on a Namibian brand with the photographer and food stylist who does all Woolworths and Le Creuset’s photography”, said no one ever…no really, NO ONE. This ladies and gentlemen, takes me back to Ogilvy Namibia’s business model launched in 2017, that has allowed us and our clients the opportunity to partner with the right talent, at the right time, for the right budget. This is change, and change is growth, get on board.
Envisioning the final outcome and trying to make your client see what you see, is the most challenging thing yet… It’s not like a creative concept for a massive campaign – no big ideaL, mock up or Pinterest mood board can sell this one honey. I guess it all boils down to two things: 1, your client having faith in you as an agency and two, having the honour to partner with a client/ a market leader that wants the “best of the best” for the brand.
Inspiration manifests a replica of qualities coming from both food and photography, merged to transcend into one single tasteful reverie. Conceptually, ‘Camera eats first’ is a belief which determines the growing phenomenon around consumption behaviour patterns that emerges from food photography.
Of course, taste & flavour is most important, but the food has to be aesthetically pleasing. More and more people choose what to eat by the way it looks, and this is mostly innovated by online platforms – food photography has become a widespread feature. It is all about the details that make a difference, by adding value and driving interest in photography. Brands who sell food products, as well as food photographers are able to use this to their advantage and market their businesses and capabilities in the industry.
Embedded in brands are sets of value drivers, i.e. principles. Building an equitable brand is a prerequisite to describing and protecting value. Brands are so delicate that they are easily prone to destruction. Hence, they must be defended at all costs which is one of the main responsibilities of Ogilvy towards its clients. This is done by developing marketing strategies that are both long-termed and short-termed. Brand equity is constructed when customers’ perception of the brand improves in terms of recognizability and trust. Steps leading to brand equity comprises of:
Building brand awareness
Conveying meaning and what the brand stands for
Reinforcing loyalty
Encouraging positive attitudes and responses
With Namib Mills, we can see value captured by camera lenses in the food photography campaign. Food styling expresses and locks principles that are rooted in the company culture. Purposefully, the brand exists to feed the nation, drive brand loyalty as well as push the support towards local products. Ideally, the presentation of appealing food in photographs is there to defend the traditional ideas of the company as a well-established brand in manufacturing local and high quality food products.
Certainly, brand equity will increase market share but more importantly it has a bigger capacity in protecting brand value for recognition and respect for what it stands for.
Yours in brands that matter, in partnership with Namib Mills,
Megan Pritchard & Melina Seeam
Client: Namib Mills, Feeding the Nation Job: Corporate Food Photography Theme: Motion