By using the 'FitChix' device to accurately record data on our farms, we were able to show customers the average step count of our chickens and how far they roam each day. With so many vague and misleading labels in the egg industry, the ‘eggs with steps’ provides consumers with tangible information at the point-of-purchase. The data journey from farm to store is crucial in showing consumers how sustainable Honest Eggs Co. is compared to the overwhelming majority of other farmed eggs in the country.The step counts on our eggs remain as a permanent fixture on every egg we sell.

The egg industry is one of the most misleading food industries in the world. On the supermarket shelf you’ll see Free Range, Open Range, Cage Free, Nest Laid, Barn Laid, and Free Run eggs - the list goes on. Despite all these wholesome sounding names, a ‘Free Range’ egg farm can have up to 10,000 chickens per hectare.

At Honest Eggs Co. we only have 30 chickens per hectare. Our method of regenerative farming is less wasteful, reduces stress on the land, and is better for the chickens. We just needed more people to know it.

Our insight came when we wondered: ‘What if we could create a better egg that showed people the conditions it was farmed in?’

Our key objective was to bring honesty to the egg industry. We set out to accomplish this by creating conversation, increasing our customer base and increasing stockists of our product.

The ‘FitChix’ campaign had the unique challenge of working directly against the public perception of ‘Free Range’ eggs. As evidenced by the following research, consumers have a positive perception of ‘Free Range’ eggs when compared to cage eggs.

“Qualitative analysis of focus groups and interviews involving 73 participants revealed that free-range and cage-free eggs are perceived as being better quality, more nutritious, and safer, and having better sensory characteristics, than caged eggs.“

Article by Heather J. Bray & Rachel A. Ankeny - Published 16 May 2017.

This lesser of two evils situation has allowed the Australian Free Range egg industry remain stagnate and capitalise on the status quo.

Until 'FitChix' came along…

As a sustainable player in the industry, we needed to educate consumers on how eggs are farmed and why our methods are better than our competitors.

So we innovated the humble egg into a media first to put an important message directly into the hands of consumers.

To do this we designed ‘FitChix’ the world’s first step counter custom-made for a chicken. Each week the device is put on a small number of chickens to track their movements and to give customers an accurate understanding of how free our chickens are compared to other so called “free range” chickens.

For regulatory traceability, every egg on Australian shelves has a printed farm code. So to deliver our message we switched this code with the step counts of our chickens during the printing process.

Now every time customers shop for eggs they can see how free our chickens are.

At Honest Eggs Co. we’re committed to 100% transparency in everything we do. So it was only natural that this led the strategy for our ‘FitChix’ campaign.

Our target audience was ‘Free Range’ egg buyers. And we needed to engage the sensibilities of this audience who’ve been led to believe that ‘Free Range’ eggs are the most ethical choice on the supermarket shelf.

Our strategy was simple, be honest and show consumers how free and healthy the chickens are on our regenerative farms. If we can gain the attention of consumers at the point-of-purchase, we can empower them to make informed decisions and change the industry for good.

Our approach would raise awareness on social, drive consideration near premises through selectively placed digital OOH and influence decisions at the point of purchase.

We started by inventing the ‘FitChix’ device. Made from hen-friendly materials it features customised software and GPS tracking. These devices are put on a small group of our chickens each week to track their daily step counts.

We then piggybacked our existing printing process. For regulatory traceability, every egg on Australian shelves has a printed farm code. So, to deliver our message we switched this code with the step counts of our chickens.

On March 9th 2023, the ‘eggs with steps’ were delivered to 350+ stores across Australia and remain a permanent feature on every egg sold by Honest Eggs Co.

To create awareness and drive traffic to stores, we ran an integrated campaign across social, site specific OOH and earned PR.

We also made the device open source so every honest egg farmer around the world can use it.

The 'FitChix' campaign has completely reframed how people think about eggs. We’ve empowered consumers to make more sustainable egg purchases, greatly increased our presence in stores and propelled the business forward.

Within the first two months of the campaign going live, we saw a +493% increase in online conversation. And 38 million earned PR reach - connecting with over 148% of the Australian population.

In the first three weeks, purchase orders from existing stockists increased 40% which maxxed out our available supply. While sales revenue hit the limit and increased 25%.

We also got solid engagement from retailers with +222% new stockist applications.

Furthermore, one of the two largest supermarkets in Australia reached out to discuss how Honest Eggs Co. can spearhead their sustainable and regenerative range.

To continue to spread awareness, we’re going to keep doing what we do best. Sell honest eggs.

The most disruptive issue in the egg industry is inaction on sustainability. In Australia, the majority of all eggs farmed come from three big producers making any shift in market challenging. These egg farms thwart the attempts of progressive egg farmers who pursue more sustainable practices.

With a population that overwhelmingly believes any ‘Free Range’ egg is a good egg, it was time for Honest Eggs Co. to lift the lid and share the honest truth. By adapting our product we could tell a brand story our competitors couldn’t. This strategy helped educate consumers to make better choices and set the industry on a stable path to more sustainable outcomes.