Creating history for the brand, Elephant House Sausages was recognized at the recently held Effie Awards, receiving its first ever Effie in the Renaissance Category for the memorable campaign ‘Who would you share your secret with?’ This campaign was initiated with the objective of reviving the image and appreciation of a 50-year brand.

“This is a first time honour for the brand as well as Keells Food Products PLC. We are delighted to have been recognized at this prestigious awards ceremony for the efforts of the EH Sausages team and our creative agency Grant McCann Erickson to revive the legendary brand,” said Samari Ihalagedara, Head of Marketing, Keells Food Products and Asst. Vice President, John Keells Group.

The Elephant House brand was synonymous with sausages in Sri Lanka in the early sixties, seventies, and eighties. However, over time a host of competitors entered the market and changing palates meant that the EH Sausage brand was overpowered by many other brands.

“EH Sausages were still in the market but they were sought mainly by the older age group. We realized that there was an entire generation growing up with no awareness of a high quality local brand,” she said. “That is when we decided to revive the premium EH Sausage brand and encourage a whole new generation to experience its taste and quality while retaining our loyal consumers.”

Grant McCann Erikson developed the ‘Who would you share your secret with?’ campaign which highlighted the sharing of the secret EH recipe with those who are special to you. The campaign encouraged those who already identified EH Sausages as the best to share it with their loved ones, while also attracting the interest of those who were curious to experience this premium local brand.

“When a client and agency are in perfect tandem with each other the brand is always the winner. Such was the case with Elephant House. The entire joint team was passionate about the brand success and earnestly forged together towards its market success and Effie win,” said Laila Gunesekere, Vice President Grant McCann Erickson.

Speaking about the campaign Nuwan Rathnayaka, Asst. Brand Manager, Elephant House Sausages said, “The biggest challenge was to connect the emerging youth with a brand that was perceived to be ‘old’. Thanks to the work done by the Grant McCann Erickson team we were able to understand this demographic and make EH Sausages relevant to them. We utilized social media (‘Secrets’ fan page on Facebook) extensively to connect with this generation and take the EH Sausage brand into an arena that they are familiar with.”

“Furthermore, we embarked on a number of activities including product sampling at supermarkets, trade and consumer promotions and sponsoring social events. We also added to the existing range of sausages by launching five new varieties, all of which have been well received by consumers.”

Having substantially increased its market share, today EH Sausages is once again market leader in the premium sausage segment.

“It is indeed heartening that EH has once again become the number one premium sausage brand in the country. It is truly a testament to the legendary taste and quality of EH Sausages,” added Rathnayaka.

Elephant House Sausages have been a distinctively Sri Lankan brand since its launch in 1966, providing consumers with premium products that are on par with international standards.