Many of us dream of creating a successful food or drink brand but may not be sure how to attract consumers.
A tasty product is one thing but how people get to know about it? Your branding is hugely important. As important as the product itself. Branding is the message you want to communicate to your target consumer - and that message should be ‘BUY ME’.
So how do create a successful brand that will get that message across?
Educating consumers
When you first start developing your product you will need to ask yourself a LOT of questions, those questions will be much the same as the ones your target audience will ask. For example: ‘what is unique about this product?’; ‘why is it better than the competition’; ‘should I risk spending money on this untried brand?’; ’does this product offer value for money?’ Your branding needs to answer all these questions.
The best place to educate your target audience is on your product’s packaging, so your branding needs to be clear and perfect.
Lock into what your audience already understands
We all tend to Pigeonhole everything in our lives and whether we are conscious of it or not, when we see a new brand, we put it in its place. So, if you are attempting to break new ground with an idea or base ingredient then you need to add something to the mix that the consumer knows.
For example, we have just developed a drink based on the Stinging Nettle called Emunity, so to help consumers to reach out and try this we have added ingredients and flavours they recognise, like gooseberry, cucumber and wild strawberry.
The key is to make sure the messaging is easy to understand and include elements that consumers can understand instantly.
Ask plenty of questions
In order to get your branding right, you need to ask yourself and others some questions:
1/ Where will this product sell and what brands will sit alongside it? How will my product stand out against them?
2/ What is my brand message? For example, is it based on health, functionality, spoiling yourself or great taste?
3/ Will my consumer be able to read the messages I have on the packaging from a distance, without picking it up?
4/ Does my brand look premium enough for the selling price?
5/ Why should a consumer buy my brand instead of their regular choice?
Getting the answers to these questions is the first step to creating brilliant branding.
Focus on them
Many consumers want to try something different, but that doesn’t mean they have all day to stand around in-store or go online to research every product. They need to be drawn to a brand that relates to them and says, ‘buy me, I am new and exciting’.
Just putting your brand name on the front and thinking the brand will sell is crazy, Consumers don’t care about a ‘new’ brand name as such, they care about what’s in it for them.
So, make sure your message conveys this. Always focus on them, not you.
For example, we worked on a soft drink now called Chillio. The previous design agency had simply splashed the logo across the entire bottle – with no thought to education, messaging, a relevant name or the drink’s point of. In other words, the branding was all about the client, not the consumer. We rebranded it to sit alongside the craft beers so you could be out sipping Chillio without feeling embarrassed you weren’t drinking. The new name highlighted the chilli ingredient in the drink (its point of difference) and the visual design evoked fun, hot days in South America.
Point of Difference
In order to have any chance of success in today’s market you must have a point of difference. This needs to be very clear in your branding and messaging on the packaging. Just being vegan, for example, is not enough - there are masses of vegan brands now, and when it comes to drinks most of them are already vegan.
So, sit down and think about what makes your brand different, then make a list of these points and then pick the MOST important ones. These are the ones you should highlight on the packaging. The less important ones still need to be on there, but they can go on areas the consumer will read once they pick the product up.
Assess if minimalism is right for your brand
Minimalism has become a trend in recent years. However, be careful not to make it too minimal. I have seen some laughable branding where a designer has tried to be cool but forgotten about selling the brand. This has led to the consumer ignoring it completely and reaching for the safer option, in other words, one of the established brands they already know. Find the right balance between doing too much or too little. You also don’t want to waffle; let your branding do the talking.
For example, FYX is a new collagen drink we’ve been working on. The recipe, branding and messaging has been designed to speak to sports people rather than beauty fans, so the messaging highlights the recovery and muscle repair benefits of collagen. This is delivered in a clean, no-fuss style. Minimalist yes, but also balanced – so the consumer can quickly understand what the drink is about.
Choosing a brand name
With the growth in food and drinks products comes a rise in the amount of new brand names, which makes choosing the right name harder, and getting a trademark more challenging. Start by researching your chosen brand name and make sure it is RELEVANT to your product and your audience. Be clever with your brand name, find something that is simple but conveys your product's message, not just a name that sounds cool to you and your family. Afterall, some names just sound plain stupid – so just because your friends think it sounds great, does not mean it will resonate with your target audience.
For example, we recently worked on the branding of an alcohol-free adaptation of the Chapman cocktail, which originated in Nigeria. The product name, ‘Afria’, was carefully chosen to convey both the drink’s African roots and the alcohol-free content. Whatever you choose, remember this name will be for the life of the brand, so make sure it has longevity.
Matching values
Consumers want brands to be transparent and they want to understand the brand’s heritage and values. Is the product certified to be Vegan, Fairtrade or Organic? Which of these will resonate with your target audience? More recently consumers are looking for certifications like ‘B Corporation’, which commends businesses that give as much consideration to their social and environmental impact as they do to their financial returns.
This move towards wanting to buy from companies with matching values is an opportunity for new, indie brands as the established companies can’t adapt quickly. It takes time to remove artificial ingredients and replace them with natural ones, to take one example.
An ethos that consumers can buy into, plus a delicious product will keep your target consumers coming back. However, you do need to attract them with your branding to begin with. Create a brilliant brand that speaks to your audience and you’ll be ready to go.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard Horwell is the owner of Brand Relations, a specialist food and drink marketing and branding company based in London. Over the last 13 years, Brand Relations has been behind the launch and development of over 100 brands in the UK. Richard has also built up and sold companies of his own in the Food and Beverage sector. He has over 30 years’ experience in marketing FMCG brands around the world, having lived and worked in the UK, USA, Australia and the Middle East.
W | By Richard Horwell, Brand Relations @brandrelations