Transforming an Iconic Australian Brand for the Digital Shelf with Darryn Wallace & Carla Salsone, Bega

When an iconic Australian brand with 125 years of history realised it needed to evolve digitally, Bega’s leadership knew transformation couldn’t wait. Darryn Wallace, Executive GM of Retail Sales, and Carla Salsone, Head of Retail Marketing and eCommerce, join the podcast to share their journey so far and the lessons along the way. From adapting their approach to retailer engagement to embedding digital shelf fundamentals and building cross-functional ways of working, they walk us through practical steps for driving meaningful change in a large, heritage brand.

Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):

Welcome to unpacking the Digital Shelf APAC edition where we explore the unique challenges and opportunities shaping digital commerce across Asia Pacific. With insights from the region's top experts,

Speaker 2 (00:10):

Welcome back to Unpacking the Digital Shelf, the APAC edition. I'm really excited to bring you today's episode. A few years ago I received a call from an iconic Australian brand that was looking to transform digitally. It was COVID, and they could see the dramatic shift occurring in the market from a shopper perspective. And that brand was the one and only Bega, a brand that is embedded in the very fabric of Australian culture. Having been around for 125 years, with that staying power, they have definitely been doing a lot right, but to stick around for the next 125 years, their leaders knew that they needed to change.

Speaker 3 (01:18):

So once again, really excited to be having this conversation with you today. I obviously know your story quite well given that Arctic Fox has supported you along the journey, but this episode is not about me or about us as an organization. It is about you. So what I would love to do, Darren, is get you to start by sharing a little bit about the catalyst that was the driving force behind Bega’s transformation. Why did you start to tackle it in 2022 and where did it all begin within your business?

Speaker 4 (02:03):

So I think in many ways the journey started before COVID in that if I think about 2017, 18, 19, what I was seeing was this just ongoing consumer interest in online shopping, and that might’ve been in adjacencies to beverage and food, but whether it was fashion, retail, hardware, sporting goods, just seeing that lifestyle shift in the way people were behaving. I had the opportunity to go to Europe several times in that period of time, and I was seeing this real rise of online shopping.

Speaker 3 (02:38):

So it was a series of kind of trends colliding that really drove you to start to think more seriously about the space, which makes a lot of sense.

Speaker 4 (03:57):

Well, interestingly, we tried to do it organically and we tried to bring in some specialty digital skills and put those individuals into our sales team and just think that this might happen by implanting new knowledge and capability. But I think my first big insight was that organically when you're trying to do something that's significantly different to what you do today, it doesn't, and it didn't work for us. So it was to build out a business case. It was really to make our why really obvious we're about great food for a better future and we need those products in front of our consumers wherever they are.

Speaker 3 (05:19):

The business readiness piece is a really interesting one, and I think it kind of ties to what you've just outlined that building that case for change and the why and having a bit more of a deliberate direction is really important to galvanize everyone and bring them on that journey as you move through transformation.

Speaker 1 (09:57):

Yeah, I think that first horizon for us was very much on foundation and hygiene and then fixing the basics. And so for us, that meant focusing on the digital shelf rich product description page content was a big one.

Speaker 2 (12:12):

So you've covered a lot of ground over the last couple of years and it really does sound easy when somebody's talking through that journey, but we know in practice transformation is messy. And so what have been some of the highs and lows happy for either of you to lean into that question?

Speaker 4 (12:32):

So I'd probably give you three answers to that question. I think the thing I'm most proudest about is the cultural change.

Speaker 1 (18:17):

And I think that the idea of engaging early is important. Don't try and get your plan or strategy perfect.

Speaker 3 (36:17):

Yeah, look, I think we have to start off by acknowledging that transformation is tough, especially in digital and e-comm where the pace of change is relentless.

Speaker 2 (40:00):

It's very kind of you. So thank you very much. I think in some ways I'm in my fourth decade of work, so you go, how crazy is it? But look, I think progress is so important. You've got to keep adapting and what the bigger group has the rich array of, and I think the real privilege to do is lead multi-generational brands.

Speaker 3 (41:46):

And get comfortable with being uncomfortable, right?

Speaker 4 (41:48):

A hundred percent.

Speaker 3 (42:28):

So essentially that's a wrap. That's all we've got time for today. I could have kept chatting forever about your journey. I've loved this chat so much.

Speaker 1 (43:11):

Appreciate it. Thanks for having us.

Speaker 4 (43:13):

Thank you very much. It's been a pleasure.