Sara Lee 2008 Annual Report Download - page 9

Sara Lee Corporation 7
Focusing on innovation, execution and performance
As a branded consumer goods company, we
know successful new products are a key driver of
Sara Lee’s success – now and in the future. That’s
why we are very focused on keeping our innovation
pipeline full of exciting new ideas and concepts that
cater to real consumer and customer needs. We
call this our “funnel-to-tunnel” innovation model,
an actively managed process in which hundreds
of ideas – some breakthrough product innovations,
others simple product enhancements – go through
various development stages and feasibility
checks before launching the most promising new
products in the marketplace. But we also realize that
innovation only drives performance if it’s combined
with a sharp, constant focus on flawless execution
throughout the entire value chain. From procurement
of our raw materials to manufacturing, distributing,
pricing, promoting and selling our products, only
when we execute flawlessly can we truly delight
our consumers and customers … every day.
Procurement
In these times of highly
volatile prices for com-
modities such as wheat,
corn and energy, and rising
prices for other inputs, it
is crucial that Sara Lee
takes full benefit of its
scale and expertise. Our
centralized procurement
department has proven its
tremendous value in the
inflationary environment
of the past two years,
helping the company man-
age unprecedented input
costs through strategic
supplier partnerships,
sophisticated buying
techniques and strategic
pricing initiatives.
Pre-sliced pies
Sometimes product
innovation achieves real
power through pure simplic-
ity. Chefs at restaurants,
hotels and other food-
service venues have long
struggled with cutting
presentable pieces of pie
for their guests. Enter
Sara Lee, the leading
foodservice pie company
in the United States. Our
new
Chef Pierre foodser-
vice pies come pre-sliced
to help our customers
serve great-looking and
even better-tasting pies
to their patrons without
losing valuable time,
money and … pie.
Deodorant innovation:
naturally
Sanex brings real innova-
tion to the deodorant
market with the launch
of
Sanex NaturProtect
deodorants. This new
line of deodorants, which
will be rolled out interna-
tionally in fiscal 2009,
contains alum, a mineral
found in nature that
prevents the formation
of body odor in a natural
way. Alum has anti-bacter-
ial action without blocking
skin pores, so it lets the
skin breathe and helps
keep it healthy.
Dunkin’ Donuts
foodservice coffee
Sara Lee’s foodservice
business is partnering
with Dunkin’ Donuts to
be the exclusive provider
of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee
to foodservice outlets
across the United States.
This exciting new agree-
ment gives Sara Lee the
right to sell and market
Dunkin’ Donuts coffee
throughout the foodser-
vice channel, to locations
such as office buildings
and cafeterias, helping
America run on Dunkin’.
Investing in our brands
Building strong, relevant
brands through creative
and effective marketing
and advertising is key
for Sara Lee’s growth.
Sara Lee is running
exciting advertising cam-
paigns, effective in-store
promotions and unique
brand activation events
across its entire business.
All focused on grabbing
the attention of our
busy target audiences,
creatively communicat-
ing the benefits of our
products, and driving
our sales, of course.