HERITAGE HERD | IRISH DEXTER BEEF
TURNING BRAND AMBITION INTO A CLEAR ROUTE TO MARKET
Heritage Herd was created by the Irish Dexter Cattle Society to build awareness and demand for premium Irish Dexter beef. I was brought in to review the work completed to date and develop a clear, practical route forward for the brand – connecting business objectives, market opportunity, brand positioning and route to market.
Challenge
Significant brand development work had already been completed but the small team lacked the in-house marketing expertise to translate it into practical activity and needed a more concise actionable plan. The review identified fragmented routes to market, inconsistent supply and limited visibility of Heritage Herd, with no centralised way for consumers to find where to buy or eat Dexter beef. The challenge was to identify the strongest opportunities and turn existing thinking into a practical plan for building awareness and demand.
What I Did
- Reviewed existing strategy, brand and marketing activity
- Assessed the business, market, audiences and routes to market
- Facilitated a strategy workshop, with the wider stakeholder team to challenge thinking and agree priorities
- Defined the route-to-market strategy and priority opportunities
- Clarified brand architecture, positioning and messaging
- Identified and prioritised market and partnership opportunities
- Developed a clear, actionable marketing plan aligned to the agreed strategy
Outcome
The project moved Heritage Herd from a collection of existing brand assets and early-stage thinking to a focussed strategic direction and practical route-to-market plan.
It established clearer priorities around positioning, audiences, brand architecture and routes to market, while identifying the commercial and operational issues that needed to be addressed alongside marketing activity. The resulting plan provided a realistic framework for building awareness and credibility through targeted partnerships, food and chef engagement, PR, events and consistent brand storytelling supported by practical activation plans for key 2026 opportunities.
Services Delivered
- Strategic Market Review
- Brand & Marketing Audit
- Market Opportunity Analysis
- Route-to-Market Review
- Strategy Workshop
- Audience Definition
- Brand Positioning
- Brand Architecture
- Messaging Strategy
- Channel Strategy
- Marketing & Activation Planning
- Content Strategy