“But we do want to look at making changes within the next year to two years.” THE EXPERTS SAYNigel Markwick, consultant, Wolff Olins (branding agency)”We agree that Aunt Bessie must bring herself up to date. Tryton needs to explore what ‘traditional’ means to a wider audience. At the moment it implies ‘old fashioned’, but what if it was reinterpreted as ‘authentic’?”After all, this is ‘real’ food made with fresh ingredients, and then frozen No additives No preservatives. That should resonate with a lot of people at the moment, yet it’s not even on the packaging.”Aunt Bessie herself looks out of touch.

Middle-aged and older people are dynamic, energetic and in touch with the modern world – so why show Aunt Bessie as a character from a Fifties sitcom? She could still represent ‘traditional’ values – quality of ingredients and food – maybe even expand to talk about creating social events rather than just calories.”This way Aunt Bessie could keep her dignity and devotion to authentic food without additives, and still introduce you to a curry or two.”Kevin Dundas, chief executive, Saatchi & Saatchi”The stronger the emotional connection that consumers have with a brand, the easier it is to introduce new products.”Aunt Bessie’s is highly respected for its wholesome, fresh ingredients and convenience. The connection made by consumers is rooted in the warmth of the traditional British Sunday lunch.”Neil is right to be concerned about introducing modern alternatives like pasta. He is also right that new consumers won’t have a problem with pasta being seen as traditional. The challenge is to create loyalty beyond reason among all customers so that Aunt Bessie will become what we call a ‘Lovemark’ (more about this another time).”To meet this challenge, we’d add a new chapter to the Aunt Bessie’s tale by introducing a bit of mystery – the discovery of a long-lost travel journal, ‘Aunt Bessie’s Grand Tour Recipe Collection’.”New products like lasagne or curry easily fit under this new sub-range.”This would build on the core emotional strength of the existing brand and be easy to translate into many communication avenues.”John Greenhough, head of business development, the Chartered Institute of Marketing”Tryton talks about ‘shifting the goalposts of tradition’ This will be bigger than the Aunt Bessie’s brand.

Although the younger consumer might view a curry as traditional, many older consumers will be opposed to such a move. The firm should use good PR to get the nation talking about what ‘traditional’ food means.”Tryton must change the connotations of ‘traditional’ over time. A quick introduction of curries and lasagnes may shock some people. However, a slow introduction of new but traditional flavourings, building up to introducing foreign meals over a period of years, will ensure that current consumers aren’t turned off while the company attracts new ones.”Tryton should assess its current consumer base. It shouldn’t alienate older customers if they are a large part of its market.