JKR

Paul Lindley

Lessons in truly understanding your audience.

Platform met again on Tuesday evening. It’s the monthly event where a group of us get together to hear first-hand from some of the business world’s leading innovators. This week we heard from Paul Lindley, founder of Ella’s Kitchen.

If ever there was an example of truly understanding your audience then this is surely it.

The inspiration for Ella’s Kitchen came from a personal experience. Unpacking his daughter's school bag one evening, Paul discovered uneaten the banana that he'd packed that morning. “Children make choices all the time, so why shouldn’t they choose their food?” he observed.

Creating a brand that is actively chosen by children required putting them at the centre of everything. In short - ‘Kids First’. This principle appreciates that children smile 20 times a day more than adults. It recognises that food connects with all of a child’s senses - the feel of it matters as much the taste (hence the squidgy pouches). It means behaving like a toddler: throwing tantrums when people say no, being absolutely single minded and unapologetically honest, which includes spitting out your food if you don’t like it.

‘Kids First’ has enabled Ella’s Kitchen to become the UK’s most trusted baby food brand, steal 10% of the market and become the UK’s 9th fastest growing company. Amazing what you can build from a little baby talk.

Platform is taking a break in December for Christmas shopping but will be back on January 18th to hear from Will King, the founder of King of Shaves. Places are in high demand but if you’d like to come along e-mail amymaw@jkr.co.uk and she’ll do her damndest to get you onto the list.