Jordans Cereals – Sustainability Communications

From 2004 to 2007 I worked closely with Bill Jordan and his senior leadership team to create their brand positioning and communications outreach around their wildlife friendly farming food proposition.

As a successful breakfast cereal and cereal bar player in the UK the company was strong in networking and influencing the food, retail, health and wellbeing sector. They were able to attract leading nutritionists and health food experts as well as food industry analysts and critics and relevant media to their stories and events, but wanted to be taken seriously in the environmental space. In particular, demographic research had identified there was a significant cross-over between people who cared about their food provenance (a major message for Jordans) and wildlife enthusiasts, birdwatchers and conservationists.

Partnering with RSPB, WWT and Pensthorpe Nature Reserve, I worked closely with the company’s lead Environmental Advisor Tim Nevard on an original conservation programme to re-introduce of the European Common Crane and the Corncrake. Part of the approach was to have Jordans take the unprecedented step of taking a stand at the International Bird Fair. This was an event almost exclusively attended by the elite of the International Conservation world and almost no other commercial brands apart from bird seed and horse feed companies attended. We hosted a successful media lunch there for the international and national environmental media including press Nature and Science correspondents from around the world. The event and ensuing coverage was hugely successful in building Jordans credibility as an organisation that created its products in a wildlife friendly manner and acted as a launch pad for the company to enter the world of UK Conservation.