Dear Ovaltine. Please take a hint from SPAM.

I do love my Ovaltine (the orange can) and have no idea why. It is just one of those foods we were raised on as kids. Hersey's syrup was never my thing.

My first observation is Nestle really needs some guidance in engaging their online audience. Ovaltine changed to the new logo and container. The unveiling of the new look has been so silent that there has been little to no online excitement about it at all. I Googled Ovaltine after seeing the new bottle and logo on the store shelf. From an SEO perspective they don't have many search results on Google and Twitter is a-flutter with Ovaltine lovers and their chatter. Too bad all was not acknowledged or even embraced. For a major company like Nestle to re-brand a classic product such as Ovaltine you would hope there would be a larger budget behind the promotional and awareness campaign.

Carrot did a good job of the basics. But, I needed to evaluate the entire campaign. As all parts make a whole solution.

Ovaltine's History
View the Ovaltine history; it quite interesting. Did you know it was ones used a cure?

Influence from the web:
Uhm..Hello, we are out here! Engage your community!

A Look at Branding

In situations when a brand has been firmly established yet is simply outdated or needs to be refreshed due to the addition of new products or services, tweaking is required, rather than a full-blown rebrand. In these cases, you don't want to eliminate the brand value that's been developed over the years, but merely make subtle changes to update it or make it representative of an expanded offering. John Williams

Ovaltine 's New Look:
The logo, label and container is not that radically different. I was pleased I could recognize the bottle on the shelf. Ovaltine has also retained the traditional colors associated with each product. The traditional can is being retained by the " Ovaltine® Rich Chocolate Mix" (blue can)

The old Ovaltine logo felt like a sports - like with its font and the new one is similar to all of Nestle's other's product's including Nesquik. Ovaltine does highlight what minerals and vitamins are fortified in the product. An obvious source of their marketing push. That kind perked my curiosity. When I reach for chocolate milk it is not to supplement my dietary needs nor is it on my usual nutritional plan. It is a a delicious treat!

(A way better attempt at branding then Tropicana.)

Ovaltine's Site Content
Very interesting.. they are trying to engage their consumers in an unusual way. There is no flow to the site. There is a section where you can tell them your Ovaltine stories. Some fluffier content sections to make five page minimum for any website. The other section that caught my eye was the Health and Nutrition section.

Ovaltine is international product with an international market and the site reflects that. But there is no flow for the site visitors. If I have interest in their product's nutritional value I visit the nutritional section. There I get a visual of the same nutritional label that would be on the back of the bottle. I can also compare the nutritional facts of "Brussels Sprout-Salmon Sorbet" and Ovaltine. Seems point less feature and probably not my first choice for a food combination. There are also some regular vegetable combinations that (if experimental) I could combine with my Ovaltine for a meal.

The most valuable content on the site is under emphasized, below the fold and in the form of a PDF. It's a image of a child and what vitamins are associated with your various body parts and organs. This bit of information could be the whole exciting part of the nutritional page. It does not really matter how great the nutritional value of Cod Liver Oil and Ovaltine couple pair up to be. Any adult and kid alike is not going to believe it and definitely not going to drink it.

Overall, I still enjoy my Ovaltine but Nestle really needs help managing their site content and engaging their online community. It is a recreational use and fun product and there could be a lot of fun campaigns that could be created and revolve around this product.

Be creative! Create content that related to your targeted community!



What's your favorite flavor (or color) Ovaltine?
Can you tell the difference between the different Ovaltine products? (I can't)
Would you buy Ovaltine after visiting Ovaltine.com?

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