In 2001, the co-founders of Manor Born sausages, Debbie and Andrew Keeble, knew little if anything about design and branding. Since undergoing a radical design transformation, the company has continued its brand evolution, and the Keebles have learnt just how important (and valuable) the right brand in the right place can be.
Having transformed Manor Born into Debbie & Andrew’s as part of a complete brand overhaul, sausage producers Debbie and Andrew Keeble soon discovered that branding is a process that never really ends. Having created and established the image that could drive the business into the future, the couple finds that there are always changes to be made, brand extensions to develop and values to strengthen.
‘It’s an ongoing process that is never absolutely right and never completely finished,’ says Andrew. ‘There are always market changes, consumer trends and new products that encourage us to evolve the brand further.’
Since establishing the Debbie & Andrew’s brand, one of the challenges for Manor Born has been to understand (and not underestimate) the value of the name and its impact on customers.
In the years immediately following the rebrand, the company had a tendency to underplay the significance of the Debbie & Andrew’s name, as Andrew explains: ‘We had developed enough of a reputation to partner with household names such as Heinz and Colmans to produce speciality sausages, but they didn’t sell as well as we had expected. We assumed the other brands would be more of a pull than ours, so gave them more prominence on the packaging. But customers trust our brand when it comes to sausages, so we have to realise that we need to position ourselves more clearly in future partnerships.’
In this way, Manor Born has discovered just how powerful a brand can be, and that customers rely on correct brand positioning to help signpost their consumer choices.
‘We’re learning all the time,’ explains Andrew. ‘We’ve brought out a new range for children called Higgledy Piggledy, and the Debbie and Andrew’s branding is quite subtly placed. It might be too subtle. While the design will appeal to kids, we need parents to know it’s come from a brand they can trust. So we might have to look at that again.’
It has been a steep learning curve for the Keebles, who have steered their company from rebrand to recent buyout in just five years. They have seen the value, significance and importance of the Debbie & Andrew’s brand growing with every step, and know that their work isn’t over yet: ‘I had no idea we’d get to this point,’ says Andrew.
‘We started this business because we had to diversify in farming, so we’ve learned to be responsive and dynamic to changes outside our control. There will always be new things to try, but one thing is certain – we’ll always be in the business of making sausages.’
