Cheer cheese remains top-selling brand after Coon name change: Euromonitor
So much for “go woke, go broke” — Aussie shoppers are still cheering for Cheer.
When the iconic cheese Coon changed its “offensive” name in 2021, some outraged shoppers vowed to boycott the brand declaring it was “cancel culture” and “political correctness gone mad”.
And late last year, commentators declared “go woke, go broke” had struck again, after Canadian dairy giant Saputo was forced to shut down its Maffra factory in Victoria’s Gippsland region, sacking 75 workers, following dismal financial results.
But according to data from market research provider Euromonitor International obtained by news.com.au, Cheer cheese has remained the top-selling brand despite the name change.
And a Coles spokeswoman also confirmed that “there’s been no impact to sales since the rebrand”.
Between 2018 and 2020, Coon was the leading brand with an 8.9 per cent market share, according to Euromonitor data.
In 2021, under the new name Cheer, it increased that share to 9 per cent, and 9.2 per cent in 2022 — a total increase in market share of 3.4 per cent since before the change.
By contrast, the number two brand, Fonterra’s Perfecto Italiano, held an 8.1 per cent market share in 2020 and 8.2 per cent in 2022 — a 1.2 per cent increase.
“Pre-Covid, Coon was experiencing growth at a rate comparable to the overall market, without having observed any significant changes in market shares as of yet,” said Euromonitor research analyst Arshad Mawla.
“In recent years with changes to the brand name to Cheer, it has exhibited a slightly higher growth in the market but has not resulted a notable shift in market shares yet.”
Interestingly, however, the number of shoppers who report buying Cheer has fallen dramatically compared with Coon — suggesting they simply don’t remember the name.
Roy Morgan Research poll manager Julian McCrann said around 12 per cent of Australians were buying coon cheese in 2018-19, or about one in eight.
“With the name change to…
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