What did they come to us wanting? (They wanted…)
Almost the whole package… Sea2Soil - a trailblazing product, championing the utilisation of a fish processing bi-product targeted at farmers taking the regenerative route to food production to improve soil quality and reduce the carbon footprint of the industry, coming to the market - came to us to develop their brand from scratch with the final product backed by all stakeholders including parent brand, Pelagia. It also had to conform to Pelagia’s ethos and guidelines.
We had to consider not only the overall presentation of the brand, but the messaging behind the brand, the primary purpose of the website, and the appropriate level of campaign activity. Developed to appeal to farmers and growers taking a regenerative route to food production, Sea2Soil’s audience is rapidly growing but growing, with advocates typically keen to seek out and trial alternative inputs. Scepticism does still hang around regenerative farming as a whole, which is why positioning the product credibly and intelligently, without jargon or hyperbole clouding the message.
It was agreed that Groundswell 2022 would be the most effective platform from which to launch the new brand and product - giving us an immovable launch date as well as competitor activity to take into account as we began to map out the project.
What did that actually translate to? (That really meant…)
With the launch of such a ground-breaking product on the cards, it was all about research, research, research to start with. From products with similar names to those with similar functionality, we analysed it all.
Other than garnering a thorough understanding of the space we were looking to launch Sea2Soil in, this research time enabled us to provoke a response from the client, allowing us to see the type of brand they aspired to create.
We looked at icon-based, image-based branding, result-bias and ingredient-bias branding, consulting stakeholders as we went, and documenting preferences to inform our progress and development. Slowly but surely the information was boiled down, to ensure the primary logo encompassed all aspects that received positive feedback as well as those that were integral to telling the brand narrative.
The result? A logo that mirrored the parent company just enough to emulate a correlation while being strong enough to stand alone.
With the brand decided, it was on to the website - a product that was developed principally to support the launch of Sea2Soil at Groundswell 2022. Defining more of the brand, the initial concept website very simply laid out the product information in both graphics and text, highlighting the global certifications and encouraging customers to get in contact.
As the brand grows a ‘second ‘phase’ website will be coming into its own, with further pages and functionality being added swiftly to evolve Sea2Soil’s online presence.
Going back to Groundswell and the official launch of Sea2Soil. This was the crux of our marketing campaign launch so ensuring we had the perfect presence at the event was vital. From securing a good-sized, highly visible plot for the stand, to agreeing on preferential rates for printed advertising in the event programme and further relevant industry publications, we produced, designed and processed physical marketing collateral including roller banners, tri-fold flyers and business cards to utilise at Groundswell. We also attended the event to support the launch of Sea2Soil, advise on customer communication, and be on hand to help deal with any unexpected issues. Although, none cropped up.
With the expectations of parent brand Pelagia to take into consideration as well as the need to thoroughly understand such a unique product, we worked closely and collaboratively with the client. With Pelagia’s audience being largely B2B, and Sea2Soil ultimately being a B2C brand, a certain amount of translation was required to reinforce the impact on required product presentation and potential sales funnels.
What results were generated by this strategy/product development? (Did it work?)
In the very early stages of a brand launch, much of the communication occurs spontaneously and face-to-face, which means measuring results can present challenges. However, whether through capability or pure dumb pig-headedness, we never like to shy away from a challenge. Overcoming the obstacles that are laid out when a brand takes its baby steps is certainly possible, especially when the right team is in place, and that’s what we feel we brought to the table for Sea2Soil.
Having attached analytical tools to the website during its build stage, we now regularly analyse its performance to ensure best practices, accessibility and SEO are maintained. Traffic that is being driven from print adverts is also tracked thanks to the use of a unique URL - which has directed 57 users to the site already - and the use of QR codes on Sea2Soil business cards.
Feedback from the official launch was hugely positive, with the client reporting that “lots of positive conversations were had at the launch - which took place during Groundswell 2022 - and have been ongoing since”. We’re continuing to help the business capture data and leads, and then fully capitalise on them, so the brand impact can be measured.
