ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. -- Along with Kraft Plus from Kraft Foods and PVG 2001 from General Mills, there's now Building Blocks from Unilever Bestfoods.
Designed to represent how Unilever Bestfoods can help its customers build their businesses, the brand groups all its services -- including consumer insights, category management, product assortment, trade promotion and supply chain initiatives -- under one umbrella.
"Building Blocks is our capabilities, brands, know-how and experience," Tim Barnes, the company's senior manager of category development, told Brand Marketing.
While the brand has been promoted internally for the last three years, it is now the subject of an external effort. Promotional materials were prominently displayed in the Unilever Bestfoods booth at the Food Marketing Institute convention last month.
When asked why the company hasn't publicized it much externally until now, Barnes said Unilever Bestfoods was focused on building the brand's foundation internally. Since the Unilever/Bestfoods merger is finalized, it decided to bring it out in the open.
Unilever Bestfoods declined to compare it to or contrast it from Kraft Plus or PVG 2001, both of which have been highly visible in the market. General Mills describes PVG 2001 as a proprietary package of collaborative business-building tools designed to help the customer achieve "profitable volume growth."
The Kraft Plus brand, meanwhile, includes a business-to-business Web site, www.kraftplus.com, aimed at helping retailers increase center-store sales. It also features www.kraftplusezserv.com, an Internet-based tool that allows retailers to access a proprietary Web site where they can ask questions, communicate supply-chain opportunities and get customer-service updates.