Raisio Benecol's Successful Brand Strategy Awarded

20/11/06 Raisio Benecol - responsible for development of the cholesterol-lowering Benecol ingredient - has received the 2006 Frost and Sullivan Award for Brand Development Strategy Leadership.

Raisio Benecol has played a key role in developing a European market for phytosterols currently valued at US$150.1 million. In 2005 Raisio Benecol had a market share of 29.0 percent in the European Phytosterols Market (Frost & Sullivan, 2005) and today is seen as a truly global brand within its business.

According to Frost and Sullivan, Raisio Benecol received the award for demonstrating superior market growth skills through a combination of a unique product based on plant stanol ester, quality and communication strategies. The company has also adopted a number of key customer-focused strategies that have helped increase the customer base and improve its brand performance. The success of the brand can also be attributed to the way Raisio Benecol has helped its food industry partners work collaboratively for the benefit of the Benecol brand both locally and globally.

Promotion through a number of channels

Raisio Benecol has promoted its brand name in both the phytosterol and functional food markets through a range of channels. The unique nature of the Benecol food ingredient (plant stanol ester) meant that people at a number of fundamental levels, including authorities, health care professionals, food manufacturers, retailers and consumers themselves, had to be informed of its benefits. Raisio Benecol has attempted to educate people on the benefits of plant stanol ester by providing a user-friendly global company website (http://www.benecol.net) and by attending a number of global conferences and trade shows.

More than just the product

Raisio Benecol licenses the Benecol brand and sells the Benecol ingredient to food companies worldwide. What's more, Raisio provides a comprehensive after-sales service support for its customers. The relationship Raisio Benecol has with its customers is based on a
partnership.

"We see the establishing of strong partnerships with all our stakeholders, from our suppliers to our food industry partners, as a critical success factor for us. Our Partners by Heart program is a well functioning platform for the kind of deep partnership we are interested in. Together with our partners we have managed to create a positive environment for our health-related massages", says Titta Ezra, Vice President, Marketing, at Raisio Benecol.

Raisio Benecol's partners manufacture more than 10 different types of food products that are sold in more than 20 countries under the Benecol brand. Furthermore, the launch of Raisio Benecol's partnership programme has enabled it to interact closely with food manufacturers in different geographical markets.

"By working together with our partners, we will continue to develop new, innovative food concepts in order to meet local tastes and to help people all over the world manage their well-being in a convenient and natural way."