By Patrick Avenell
SYDNEY, NSW: St George Appliances has announced a raft of new initiatives to promote its brand in the lead-up to Christmas. Unlike its namesake rugby league team, which let down all its fans last weekend, the major appliance manufacturer hopes to put smiles on the faces of its trade partners.
The new marketing campaign will feature promotions, collateral, an e-newsletter and public relations. Talking about this push is Woodland Home Products CEO Craig McKell.
“As we embark on this journey to re-energise the St George brand, we are committed to supporting our retailers along the way,” he said. “A big part of our strategy going forward is to restore St George’s visibility and credibility in our markets – but particularly in the channel with our retailers”.
“St George has been hand-crafting kitchen appliances for over 60 years now and has been a mainstay for generations of serious home cooks in Australia. What we’re now seeing is a new generation, in part inspired by the celebrity chef and TV shows such as MasterChef, discovering the joys of food and cooking – we’re seeing grandmothers and mothers passing the baton.
“This new generation is acutely aware that a great food experience is about quality and attention to detail in every aspect – from the oven and appliances to using the best ingredients.
“What they may not be aware of, is that some the world’s best cooking appliances are actually designed, engineered and in most cases still built here in Australia by Australians.”
As part of this campaign, McKell will address the links, or lack thereof between the St George brand and that of the disgraced Kleenmaid brand.
“The fact is there is no relationship. The link between St George and Kleenmaid ended five years ago when Peter Woodland acquired St George from Kleenmaid. We’re working hard to break the misconception of a continuing association. The St George brand is going strong and is here to stay!”
From now until 31 December 2009, consumers who purchase a St George induction cooktop will receive a free Circulon 5-piece cookware set valued at over RRP $400.
McKell also said a new e-newsletter, featuring cooking and entertaining tips, product news, recipes and promotions will also be launched in October.