Ultima Foods launches iögo: Deployment of one of the largest integrated marketing campaigns across Canada

LONGUEUIL, QC, Sept. 20, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - August 20 marked one of the food industry's largest product launches across the country, as Ultima Foods—the Canadian yogurt expert for over 40 years—launched iögo, its own brand of yogurt and fresh dairy products that is 100% Canadian. Since its official launch, iögo sales have had an excellent start across the country.

"iögo is THE new way to say yogurt. From the start of our market entry, we wanted to launch a full and different range of products that emphasized a natural taste. While staying faithful to our cooperative heritage, we created a youthful and contemporary brand. iögo meets the expectations of Canadian consumers, who are increasingly looking for authentic textures and flavours along with simple ingredients and products created and manufactured in Canada. iögo's characteristics make it a unique and unmatched brand on the market. We hope that consumers will have as much fun eating iögo as we had making it for them," explained Lucie Rémillard, Vice President, Marketing for Ultima Foods.

While the research, creation and development for the market release of a single yogurt with a few flavours generally requires 24 months of work, Ultima Foods took only 18 months to develop its new brand and product portfolio with over 44 different products for grocery stores and 21 for its Food Service. To achieve this goal, the company's marketing team devised a new approach and created multidisciplinary teams that worked simultaneously.

Ultima Foods also implemented one of the largest integrated launch campaigns across the country that will take place over 15 months. The campaign invites consumers to discover iögo in many ways: the iogo.ca site, TV ads (teasers, 60- and 30-second ads), billboards, print media ads, online advertising, in-store advertising, public relations, social media, experiential events, tastings and coupon promotions. The company also created a new visual identity and a new website: ultimayog.ca.

"Rarely does the career of a marketing professional include the chance to create a brand from scratch. The 27-member marketing team threw itself completely into the project. Everyone went above and beyond and showed extraordinary collaboration. Without a doubt, we were able to count on the new ideas and expertise of both internal and external specialists," stressed Lucie Rémillard.

For this campaign, the marketing team called upon long-standing and new partners, including (in alphabetical order): Ad hoc research, Bo Branding & Design, CASACOM, Cohésion Stratégies, CRI agence, DentsuBos, Denise Hobbs Marketing, Fasken Martineau, Gestev, Ideograma Identité, Legault Joly Thiffault, KPMG SECOR, PMC, Ressac and Uranium Interactive.

Ultima Foods capitalized on its know-how and capacity for innovation to solidify its leadership in the industry. In the creation, development and marketing for iögo alone, Ultima Foods, whose sales totalled $330 million in 2011, invested $60 million. The company has also invested $10 million in its Granby plant since May to increase its production capacity.

iögo is a full range of yogurt and fresh dairy products that come in seven different lines and over 40 different flavours: iögo, iögo 0% (fat-free yogurt with 35 calories per 100-g serving), iögo Probio (new twists on probiotic yogurt, such as lactose-free flavours), iögo Greko (Greek yogurt), iögo Nomad (drinkable yogurt), iögo Zip (tube yogurt) and iögo Nano (fresh cheese and drinkable yogurt for children). All iögo products are gelatine-free with no artificial flavours or colours.

With a name that resembles the word "yogurt," a spelling that creates a common bond among all of the products, and an easily recognizable image, iögo has an original personality that reinvents the world of yogurt. Presented in a streamlined package decorated with a black-on-white pattern featuring delectable fruit, Ultima Foods' iögo products are easily recognizable on grocery store shelves. The products stand out in particular through their colour bands representing each adult product line and through the various attractive, fun and practical sizes specially designed for children.

About iögo
iögo is a brand of yogurt and fresh dairy products that is 100% Canadian and that is created, developed and marketed across Canada by Ultima Foods. The creation and innovation behind the brand were guided by the single goal of providing a natural taste. The brand has seven different product lines: iögo, iögo 0% (fat-free yogurt with 35 calories per 100-g serving), iögo Probio (new twists on probiotic yogurt, such as lactose-free flavours), iögo Greko (Greek yogurt), iögo Nomad (drinkable yogurt), iögo Zip (tube yogurt) and iögo Nano (fresh cheese and drinkable yogurt for children). All iögo products are gelatine-free with no artificial flavours or colours. They are also preservative-free, except for the iögo 0% line. Thanks to unique recipes, iögo has over 40 flavours. As a pledge that everyone will find something to love in this new product line, all iögo products are part of Ultima Foods' "Satisfaction guaranteed or it's free" policy. For more information about iögo, visit www.iogo.ca or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Ultima Foods
For more than 40 years, Ultima Foods has been a Canadian leader in the manufacturing and marketing of yogurt and fresh dairy products. The company is headquartered in Longueuil (Québec) and has 750 employees across the country. It has world-class facilities and produces every year at its Granby plant more than 100 million kilos of fresh dairy products that are distributed across Canada. Having developed a veritable yogurt culture in the country, Ultima Foods makes products that are adapted to the tastes and expectations of Canadian consumers by investing in high standards of quality and innovation. It develops, manufactures and markets the iögo brand (www.iogo.ca). Aside from its brand, the company owns and operates Olympic-brand dairy products (www.olympicdairy.com). With the combined manufacturing of all those products, Ultima Foods, which is owned by the Agropur and Agrifoods dairy cooperatives, is a major player in the Canadian food industry. For more information about Ultima Foods, visit www.ultimayog.ca or follow us on Facebook.

Press release: Ultima Foods - the yogurt experts for more than 40 years - introduces its own national yogurt and fresh dairy product brand: http://www.ultimayog.ca/news-and-media/news-releases

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SOURCE: Ultima Foods

and media requests:

Martine Venne
514-286-2145, poste 228 or 514-704 5624
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Carolyn Ray
416 944-2145 or 647 213-3450
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