Consumer Brands by DesignTactics

Consumer Brands

Creativity with purpose At DesignTactics, we create tools that our clients use to engage more effectively with their audience â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and ultimately, to grow their business. For clients who target consumers, we help them compete: We develop brand strategy and creative communications to forge stronger customer relationships, and to retain and win sales. For our government and corporate clients, we help them to compete for attention: We create messaging strategy and design solutions for clear, focussed and effective communication. We deliver these results with a service that is complete, efficient and clean. Our clients trust us to solve their problems: we have the skills and the expertise to identify a solution, resolve all the details, then execute it in every aspect. This combination of superb project management and highly effective creativity is our brand promise. It powered the clients you see here to achieve greater results, and it can do the same for you: Read on, and start to think how creativity with purpose could help your business.

Java Republic

Forging Futures: our partnership with Java Republic.

One of the most creative working relationships we have is with Java Republic. Design Tactics was an integral part of the formation, building and launch of the Java Republic Brand, and continues to work with the company to lead product development with a brave and creative marketing style. We were there from the beginning, when Brendan (our creative director) and David (Java Republic’s founder) first began to explore the idea of presenting handroasted coffee to an Irish audience. This is the kind of challenge Design Tactics love: “We actually visualised and created the brand before a single bean was roasted” says Brendan. The Java Republic project was one of the factors that encouraged Brendan to make

the leap into creating his own company - DesignTactics. “At the time, we were both working for other companies.” says David. “I used to meet Brendan in a pub along the quays, explain the vision I had, and say ‘this is what we need’. At this stage, I’d come up with the name Java Republic, and I had some visual ideas but, from the beginning, we worked together on visualising and creating the brand.” Tessa, who has since become Marketing Director of Java Republic, comments: “I think what it is that DesignTactics understood was where David wanted to go,” Neither of them realised how successful those ideas would be: “In our first year of

business we won everything” says David: “Design Effectiveness Awards for the creative work and Great Taste Awards for our coffee. DesignTactics put amazing time and effort into the design, and without that we would never have succeeded.” Nonetheless, the journey wasn’t always easy: “Putting it together was tough. We spent 19 months working on the brand, before roasting a single bean. I was out of work for one full year while trying to start the company.” It was an unusual partnership. “In the beginning it was seriously intense”. Says David “There was no fun in the early days. Brendan was the only one who realised what I was going through.

“There was no fun in the first year. Brendan was the only one who realised what I was going through, and for a new business starting out, he’s one of the most inspirational guys. He believed in it more than I did at times.” For a new business starting out, he’s one of the most inspirational guys. He believed in it more than I did at times.” “What I came up with for the company was a good idea, but it wasn’t anything absolutely radical. I don’t have a background in marketing, but I do have strong ideas, and what I did want was to communicate it differently, and DesignTactics picked up on that and made it happen.” David was more interested in being creatively involved in the marketing process than your average company owner, and Design Tactics found ways to harness his creative ideas and make them work: David explains: “Usually you wouldn’t get an owner who is that interested in marketing, but to me it’s the most

exciting part of the business. I came up with the idea of using icons from the countries where we sourced our coffee. I spent so much time on research that I knew exactly what I wanted and I commissioned an artist to create them. I’m stubborn - if I wasn’t creatively involved myself, I didn’t want to launch the coffee. But I’ll tell you why it worked - because Brendan is incredibly flexible, incredibly open to compromise. His response was fantastic, he used the icons, he finished the whole package, and he made it look absolutely exceptionally good.”

The response from DesignTactics was also very creative when it came to launching Java Republic Speciality Teas: Tessa explains: “Initially David was pushing for black as a colour, as he thought tea in a black box would be cool - but DesignTactics

A great consumer brand needs to be distinctive enough to catch your attention, yet familiar enough to build trust and credibility.

steered him along the route of using green, because nobody else was doing that. So that was another instance where DesignTactics listened to what we had to say and came back with an outside of the box idea, having thought about it. The reality is lots of teas are packaged in black. Nobody else is using fresh, light green, and it stands outlike other Java products. It has personality, and it’s actually evolved really well for us: Our use of colours has helped to create personalities for the product families within our brand.” When it comes to the brand visualisation process that initially shaped the Java Republic brand, DesignTactics believe that it’s really key to blend free, creative thinking with an awareness of the competition. As Creative Director Brendan says: “We aim for an intuitive creative response

when we visualise a new brand. While it’s vital to understand the market context and know the competition that a new brand will face, it’s just as important that you don’t become restricted by that knowledge. There’s no point creating a forgettable brand - even if it feels right on shelf. A great consumer brand needs to be distinctive enough to catch your attention, yet familiar enough to build trust and credibility. Big brands can create that trust with advertising, but smaller brands like Java Republic have to use pack design to get their message across.” Tessa came into the company in 2004, replacing David as the dayto-day partner in Java Republic’s collaborative relationship with the DesignTactics team. “Brendan has a great mentoring relationship with his staff. Having worked both with

Brendan and various designers in DesignTactics, I would say he chooses people that are good listeners, people who understand how to respond in a different way and who don’t automatically think they know the solution to a problem. They solve the design with you, which I think is a key difference compared to other agencies.”

David: â&#x20AC;&#x153;DesignTactics was singly as responsible as I was for the success of Java Republic. I know I came up with the idea, but without Brendan, this brand would never have had any of the success: It would never have made the impact in terms of brand recognition that it did. Java Republic punches 50 times above its weight in the marketplace.â&#x20AC;?

Dawn Juices

New brand & packaging

In 2008 we worked with Kerry Foods to relaunch the Dawn brand and the packaging for their core juice range. This was in response to a significant quality improvement in the product, as all the juices were switched to not-from-concentrate. Facing significant competition in the chilled juice sector, Dawnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family-friendly brand values were evolved to better reflect the high-quality of the improved product. The redesigned Dawn brand will soon be rolled-out across their family of related products.

Freshways Smoothies

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been working with Freshways since the business was owned by the Brennan family, and we continue to work on the brand now that it is run by Kerry Foods. These smoothie packs were created so Freshways could compliment their well-known sandwich offering with a complimentary products - and were designed to create appeal at the point of purchase without any advertising support.

Freshways

Brand and packaging repositioning

In spring 2009 our new Freshways packs hit the shelves, and were an immediate success. We had worked with Freshways for nearly a year to reposition the brand and repackage their products â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to turn Freshways from a quick-fix lunch into a desirable, wholesome food with credibility and authenticity. As consumers became conscious of their shrinking incomes, this reinvigorated brand successfully made the case for buying a sandwich rather than making your own. We supported the relaunch with a full campaign of point of purchase support, trade advertising, and a launch brochure.

www.freshways.ie

Green Isle foods Pizza Packaging

DesignTactics founder, Brendan Donlon, has been working with Green Isle foods since 1996 , having created the Pizza packaging that first brought Goodfellaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to national attention. DesignTactics continued to work with Green Isle on creating new varieties and products for the brand, as well as running on-pack promotions. We also created the Ultima brand which is used to market their Ciabatta base pizzas across Europe.

Heavenly Desserts Fresh-cream treats

We created the Heavenly Desserts Brand Identity and packs to inject new life into a much improved product line. Kerry foods had a very clear objective – to increase awareness of their improved products among consumers. They achieved a near doubling of sales and full listings with all the major retailers. “The evolution of Heavenly Desserts allowed us to compete and win… We effectively created a major Brand in a sector where previously there was none.” Liam Hennessy, National Sales Director, Kerry Foods.

Waterford Stanley Consumer Advertising

One of the clients with whom we’ve been particularly proud to work has been Waterford Stanley. Over the past five years, in conjunction with DesignTactics, Stanley stoves have established themselves at the heart of contemporary Ireland. From the beginning, we just felt a natural passion for their brands and products. So much so, that sometimes the DesignTactics team have found themselves convincing Stanley about just how great their products are. As Eileen from Stanley says: “Brendan at DesignTactics has a real empathy for the product – sometimes he knows what is good for us when I don’t even know it myself.”

Brendan’s passion for their products is genuine – and it’s infectious too. “The Waterford Stanley story is a remarkable one” he says, “the history of Stanley was that they built boilers for almost anything. They were the nineteenth century solution for home heating. But in the last 100 years, that market has been in an obvious decline.”

Stanley knew they needed to modernize, and DesignTactics sensed the direction they needed to go: “Stanley had a tradition of selling their stoves as functional items. And yet they were aware that their customers saw them as emotional items. So we’ve focused on creating a purely emotional message, and it’s been a fascinating evolution.”

“Anyone with a family history with Stanley has an intuitive response to the range”

“Stanley Range Cookers and stoves have established themselves at the heart of contemporary Ireland”

At the heart of the campaign is what DesignTactics call ‘the intentional nostalgia factor’. “We wanted to bring out the look and feel of the product, to move away from the functional message.” But there was a catch: they needed to appeal to two types of customer: those who already had a strong association with the brand, and those who needed to be introduced to it. “Anyone with a family history with Stanley has an intuitive response to these products.” Says Brendan “But we also need to reach those who don’t - to explain to new audiences how they work and the benefits they bring. But we had to do this without sacrificing their desirability and emotive appeal. We’re not selling functional boilers any more.”

“I have the utmost confidence in DesignTactics to interpret what I want and to come back with something wonderful”

Much of the focus is on creating an aspirational sense of the product – of what it can offer in terms of atmosphere and heart in the contemporary Irish home. As DesignTactics describe it “We wanted to offer an aspirational vision of what these products can bring to in your home’. Much of the focus is on creating an inspirational sense of the product – of what it can offer in terms of atmosphere and heart in the contemporary Irish home.”

“We wanted to offer an aspirational vision of what these products can bring into your home”

Temple Spa

Brand and marketing materials As an early innovator in the spa market, Temple Spa began its Holistic Healing Centre & Spa retreat in a tidy country getaway. Due to a solid success, they were set to expand, but needed to retain their intimate spirit and appeal. DesignTactics merged their strong down-to-earth brand values with their expanded offer. Within 4 weeks DesignTactics had re-branded the centre and created a full suite of marketing materials including brochures, stationary, business cards and posters. The re-brand made it clear that Temple Spa is unique. The influx of new customers and increased awareness are testament to our joint success.

Kilkenny Living

Brand positioning and visual identity

In 2003 this well-respected Irish manufacturer of fireplace surrounds expanded their range to include furniture and household accessories. As part of this expansion, they commissioned DesignTactics to redefine the Brand’s positioning and visual identity. The aim of our work – through design and copywriting – was to reflect their new positioning, in name, printed literature and brand collateral. We created a tangible sense of home through our designs and room-sets with live (and four-legged) props, while crafted copy beautifully captured the warmth and personality of Kilkenny Living’s product range.

Maddens

Brand Communications Looking to protect their market-share from large international retailers, this Cork-based firm sought to reposition their services and marketing. A positioning exercise revealed that Madden’s personal service and genuine expertise in home entertainment solutions was highly prized by their customers. DesignTactics created the name ‘Madden’s Entertainment’, its signature ‘Me’ badge and the tagline ‘Bring the excellence Home’ as a means of emphasizing their unique strengths. The Institute of Designers in Ireland selected this project for exhibition by as part of Design Week 2002. It also featured in a traveling exhibition as part of ‘the best of Irish design’ that toured Europe in 2003.

SuperQ

Brand Communications Traditionally, petrol stations have focused on convenience foods over freshness. Therefore, Texaco and Superquinn created a partnership to revolutionise the offerings at service stations and in the facilities on forecourts. DesignTactics designed and implemented a new visual brand language to be communicated across the entire retail space and on all communications on the trial forecourts where SuperQ was introduced. The new branding conveyed a clear message of freshness â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and appears on everything from windows, posters, coffee cups, superlites and point of sale â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to name but a few!

Molloy’s Woodcrafts Brand Identity

Originally known as a high quality trade furniture producer, Molloy’s Woodcrafts decided to expand into the consumer market. This necessitated changing the perception of their products among retailers and introducing themselves to consumers. With a subtle name change, a new brand identity and new collateral, the uniqueness and specialization of Molloy’s Woodcrafts became apparent to all. No longer seen as a functional manufacturer but rather as a highly crafted, beautiful ‘must have’ brand, sales rocketed and an appropriate perception of the goods was confirmed

Elvery’s

Brand environment A takeover by Stauntons Intersport marked a new start for Elvery’s. Being Dublin’s pre-eminent sporting goods retailer since 1893, it was essential to retain Elvery’s authenticity through its historic name, elephant motif and well-established values that differentiate it from its more fashion-led competitors. We created a robust wordmark and a new visual and written language that emphasised quality, reliability and specialist knowledge. This new brand was key to establishing a country-wide roll-out of the new 21st Century Elvery’s.

Dublin

Tourism destination brand Selected as part of a competitive tender, DesignTactics worked to create a tourism destination brand for Dublin which evokes the Georgian heart of the city while conveying the unique personality and contemporary style of its people. We created a bespoke word-mark with a surprise exclamation point accompanied by a constantly changing portraits of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s characters. Agencies across the world now use this mark - based on our comprehensive set of guidelines and style recommendations.

What can we do for you? Are you equipped to compete for business? To capture and hold the attention of your audience? Now that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done for our clients, consider what we can do for you.

Brand Identity

Communication Audits

Consumer Brands

Competitor positioning analysis

Retail Brands

Product/service positioning analysis

Corporate Brands

Visual Audits Brand Communication

On-shelf performance analysis

Packaging

Competitor visual audit

Point of Sale Sales Aids

Brand Positioning

Print Advertising

Positioning modelling documents

Signage (Branding / Wayfinding)

Brandstorming workshops

Environment Graphics Retail collatoral Stationery Brochures

Written Communications Name & strapline creation Copywriting & Editing

Annual Reports Newsletters Presentations

Client Services Project Management Print Management Supplier Management

DesignTactics Unit E7, Nutgrove Office Park, Nutgrove Avenue, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14. Tel: +353 1 207 9107 Fax: +353 1 207 9100 www.designtactics.net