We’re not like a lot of agencies that will tell you they have a detailed, proven, proprietary process; a one-size-fits-all, foolproof formula for project success. The reality is that every client, every situation, every product, and every project is different. Some clients don’t want to be involved at all in the process, while others want regular check-in meetings and close collaboration throughout the project. Our goal is to give you the best possible results, and we can be very flexible in the way we work to ensure a result that you, and your customers, are very happy with.
This is not to say we don’t have our own DNA. There are principles and philosophies we believe strongly in, which are critical to the success of our work. We’ve been in the food and beverage space for a long time, and we’ve built and marketed a lot of successful brands. Along the way, we’ve learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t. Here are a few key aspects of our process that we feel set us (and you) apart:
GREAT STORYTELLING IS FOUNDATIONAL TO EFFECTIVE BRANDING
As humans, we’re hardwired for storytelling. There’s no escaping it. Products and brands have attributes that a certain audience will care about, and if you can tell a tale (real or metaphorical) that makes a lasting emotional connection, you’ll build a community of supporters and brand advocates; people who see themselves in your narrative, and that need your product in their lives. This is foundational to our process (and to effective branding). We uncover what differentiates your product, and we match that up with the motivations of your particular consumer target to produce a brand built to connect…and sell.
A great example of this is Sauer Frau.
A STRATEGIC BRAND IS DEVELOPED THROUGH DELIBERATE ITERATION
The best way to understand our iterative process is through the lens of a beginning-to-end brand development project. We begin with the foundational pieces. A project often starts with brand naming. We produce multiple fully vetted concepts, discuss the technical and thematic implications of each, and once a name is chosen, we move to storytelling. We deliver multiple directions, with distinct personality, voice, style, and focus, and once a direction is chosen, revised, and approved, we proceed to identity development, where the story influences look and feel, color, font choices, and other design decisions. We provide multiple concepts, and the chosen identity is then developed further in packaging design concepts that add elements, icons, patterns, illustrations, etc. By the time we have finished packaging, custom photography that establishes a distinct visual style, and a robust website that tells a deeper story and supports the customer journey, the result is a unique, cohesive, thematic, strategic brand that’s built to perform consistently at every touchpoint.
WHERE WE’RE GOING, WE DON’T NEED REVISIONS
Okay…so, we do sometimes. We just don’t charge extra for them or really limit them in any way. We’re confident in our work because we put in the effort to ensure we understand the challenge, and that everyone on the team is on the same page at each step of the process. The vast majority of the time, we hit our mark with precision. We’re not in this for our own approval though, so while we may think we nailed it, on the rare occasion that you don’t feel we did, we’ll tweak, adjust, and go back to the drawing board, if needed. However many times we need to. This is our commitment to you, and a reflection of our sincere desire to ensure you’re 100% happy…this is your brand after all!
WE’RE HERE TO HELP YOU BUILD YOUR BUSINESS
Companies come to us with preconceived notions about what they need. Sometimes they’re right, but sometimes they don’t know what they don’t know…The food and beverage space is highly competitive, and very few companies ever make it through to meaningful long-term success. So, we’re not afraid to leverage the industry knowledge we’ve gained over the years to provide consultation and recommendations that go well beyond the branding or marketing engagement we’ve agreed to. For instance, through our initial conversations, we may find that the shelf life of your product won’t work for the sales channel you’re targeting. We’ll tell you that, and we’ll help you find a food scientist to reformulate, if needed, as opposed to just moving forward blindly with brand development. Or maybe your pricing strategy won’t leave you enough margin, your packaging is unnecessarily expensive, or some research is needed to validate assumptions about your business case…we’ll bring these things up and offer solutions to ensure that your business is as healthy and strong as your brand.
TESTIMONIAL
“I have been working with Josh and his incredible team for over 3 years. Their knowledge, professionalism, and creativity has allowed our brand Latin Fiesta to flourish and stand out in our respective marketplace. They are a FULL service organization that can deliver everything a small and even large business can want in respect to Brand Strategy and development. I highly recommend them!!”
