Challenge
The açaí berry (pronounced ah-sigh-EE) is a grape-like fruit harvested from palm trees native to the South American rainforest. In Brazil’s northern state of Pará, the açaí berry is a local cuisine staple, a true cultural heritage. More recently, it became popular in the rest of Brazil and the world, especially among sportspeople, for being a healthy energy source rich in antioxidants and fiber. With the açaí berry’s status of an almost miraculous food in mind, a group of Brazilian entrepreneurs set the goal of making it more mainstream in the U.S. and Canadian markets, where audiences are more health-conscious as ever. The challenge Before the Açaí Berry project could win consumers’ hearts and minds, it had a particular, highly qualified audience to conquer: investors. To get there, the entrepreneurs behind the project needed a consistent visual identity to give their investor presentations a look and feel that was unmistakably professional and captivating. They aimed at an approach that would be at the same time simple and eye-catching, with a ‘pop’ quality that would appeal to all audiences. Beyond this pitching stage, the branding would also be applied to the project’s website, social media posts, brand applications, and points of sale after all channels and campaigns go live.
Solution
For starters, hafferi had to understand better what the açaí berry meant to people. Google Trends was the tool of choice to extract relevant keyword research data on the matter. For one, it revealed what drove people to search for ‘açaí’ – some wanted to know how to eat it or how to prepare it, while others looked for places to buy it or just wanted to check how to pronounce the word. Those searches also indicated the more convenient locations for Açaí Berry’s brick-and-mortar stores. This learning process was a useful guide for hafferi to work on the Açaí Berry branding. The key concept was to give the brand a modern, energetic feel while staying true to the product’s origins. More importantly, this branding work was supposed to be scalable, malleable, and adaptive to many different uses.
Results
The branding work conveyed the image of a natural, delicious nutritional solution that landed in the heart of the connected world straight from one of the planet’s greenest havens. hafferi portrayed the açaí berry as great either for gym-goers, health nuts, or businesspeople on the go. The imagery depicts young, creative people who are carefree and keen on sports, and tone & voice are amicable and straightforward. The product’s pictures have a ‘foodie’ feel to them, but with a fresh, natural touch.
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