Sometimes absence reveals what really matters

Glenisk isn't just Ireland's favourite organic yogurt. It's a family business in Offaly that's been championing organic farming for over 35 years. Working with 50 small farms. Making yogurt the right way, even when it's not the easy way.

Then a fire struck their factory. Production stopped. The shelves emptied.

But something remarkable happened. Customers didn't just miss the product – they felt (and they voiced) the absence of everything Glenisk represented. The support for small Irish farms. The refusal to take shortcuts. The quality of organic.

Bord Bia introduced me to help Glenisk stay relevant during the absence and prepare for their return to shelves. It wasn't just about announcing availability. It was about reconnecting with people who'd been waiting for the comeback.

The strategic insight – activists for better

Looking at what customers said about Glenisk, a pattern emerged. People weren't just buying yogurt. They were buying quality you could taste – created by a philosophy.

Glenisk had always done things differently. Organic when it wasn't fashionable. Carbon-neutral packaging before it was required. Supporting small farms when consolidation was the industry norm.

They were activists – not the loud, preachy kind, but real-world practical idealists. People who believed in a better way and kept working at it, quietly, consistently.

That's what customers had missed. Yes, the taste. But also what it stood for.

1. ‍FROM: A beloved brand absent from shelves, needing to maintain relevance and prepare for return.‍
2. VIA: Customers miss both the product and what Glenisk represents – practical activism for better food, better farming, better choices.‍
3. TO: Position the return as something worth waiting for, celebrating both the product and the values customers had been missing.

Expressing the strategy

I developed the core positioning: Glenisk as ‘activists for better.’ Practical idealists. Champions of the better way. With a manifesto built on their Ten Commitments – organic is the way, health is happiness, environment is everything, community is a gift.

The campaign line became ‘Looking forward to this" – capturing both the anticipation of experience the taste of the product as well as the return to shelves. And reflecting Glenisk's forward-looking, optimistic character. It balanced warmth with substance, acknowledging the wait while keeping focus on what mattered.

Making it real

The messaging needed to work across social media, retail, and trade press. To convey warmth without being saccharine. Conviction without being preachy.

The copy followed Glenisk's character: calm, composed, grateful. A twist of gentle wit. Always grounded in their actual commitments.

When the first three core bio flavours came back to shelves, a bus Adshel headline played on the familiar frustration: ‘You wait ages for one. Then three come along at once.’

The tone acknowledged the absence honestly while keeping focus on what people had genuinely missed.

Why it works

The campaign positions the return around values, not just availability. It reminds people why they chose Glenisk in the first place – and why that choice matters.

The social media response showed people weren't just glad to have yogurt back. They enjoyed having their values reflected back to them in the choices available on the shelf.

Trade press covered the return as a story about resilience and community, not just factory restoration.

The brand's subsequent campaigns continue to build from this foundation – positioning Glenisk not just as organic yogurt, but as practical activism for better.

• ‍The challenge: Keep Glenisk relevant during absence and reconnect with customers for their return‍
• The insight: Customers missed both the product and what it stood for – wholesome real food, grown on practical activism for better food and farming‍
• The expression: Looking forward to this | Activists for better
• The approach: Brand positioning, campaign concepts, social messaging celebrating both product and values