We’re Not Designers. We’re Passionate, Endlessly Curious Difference-Makers
You’re the marketing leader of a company on a mission: to produce a product that’s better. For your customers, for the planet, for your bottom line. But perhaps your brand is at a crossroads, poised to rocket to the next level or challenged to repair deep-seated business problems. You need a partner to guide you.
This probably isn’t the first time you’ve evaluated marketing agencies, and so many of them say the same things: “We’re results-oriented, creative, collaborative, innovative, strategic …” The list goes on.
As you’re researching the possibilities, consider this: Better-for-you naturals brands are a unique breed because of their mission. And so are the consumers they attract — devotees who demand transparency, ethical behavior, social and environmental benefits, and, of course, a delicious product. So you’re wise to align with an agency partner that not only understands the marketplace but that lives and breathes the same ethos.
Like us. We’re a tribe of believers on the hunt for natural, clean, better-for-you brands that we can help change the world for the better. We’re in this with you. In fact, we don’t take on work, no matter how giant the budget, unless we know we can commit to the brand, advance its goals, and transform the business. Like you, we’re about more than making money. We make a difference.
We Help Brands That Are Committed to Doing Good
Of course, making a difference and making money are not mutually exclusive. They go hand-in-hand for our clients. Time and again, we’ve resuscitated dying brands, repositioned poor performers for massive growth, and elevated middling brands to the top of their categories. Brands like:
Sahale Snacks
This BFY snack brand was losing shelf space until our research recommended that consumers would respond to Sahale’s culinary flavors. With a new brand promise based on responsible sourcing and social engagement, we relaunched and repackaged the brand. The result? Sahale saw 5x growth in the first year after our rebranding, and is now the best-selling brand of trail mix in the U.S.
DRY Soda
DRY pioneered the craft soda category, then struggled as other brands entered the space. We prompted the executive team to drop the word ‘soda’ from the brand name and instead focus on sparkling water with unique flavor combinations. We pivoted the brand appeal away from kids and toward foodie females. The market responded: DRY recorded a 20x increase in topline revenue in 36 months and has earned the title of fastest-growing Carbonated Soft Drink (CSD) in North America.
Essentia Water
Essentia’s pH and ionization make it more hydrating than regular water, yet it was competing with products like Fiji and Evian. We shifted the brand’s focus to a broader audience of consumers seeking superior hydration. With a campaign celebrating overachievers, we helped Essentia to 84% growth over 12 months. The brand is now the fastest-growing specialty water in the U.S.
Design is the Last Thing We Do
We’re not a packaging firm; we tackle business problems first. We appreciate design, and we’re good at it. But it’s a byproduct of the strategy work we do. Having applied our process of diagnosis and validation to more than 300 national brands, we know that success has nothing to do with design. A killer logo doesn’t make a brand profitable.
It’s our experience that what’s wrong with a troubled brand is so much more than the packaging; it can be operational or organizational, it can be the wrong team or the wrong products in the R&D pipeline. So before we even start talking about color and typography, we plug directly into the C-suite. We require involvement from top management throughout our brand strategy process. We facilitate infighting, reveal hidden bias, and get to consensus, so nothing can derail the work when we get to the final design phase. But we don’t just take your word for it; we validate recommended strategies with your trusted contacts in the industry. When your sales team presents the repositioning to your industry partners, there’s instant buy-in because they see their fingerprints on the work.
We take a holistic, system-thinking approach to client engagements. Design without strategy leads to endless changes and guesswork. We want to create an outcome where our clients don’t need a major design change for a decade because we’ve done all the work to make it unique and timeless.
3 Things We Know for Sure
When we believe in something, it will win. When we’re confident in what we know, because we’ve accurately assessed the problem and validated our solution, we can look our clients in the face and tell them, “This will work.” It does, every time. But we won’t ever do that without doing five times the amount of homework necessary. If we can’t make a recommendation with conviction, we won’t. And if we don’t yet have the right answer, we’ll say so.
We’ve purposefully gathered a focused, hardworking team. But really, we’re just a bunch of regular people who want to make our lives more meaningful by reaching out to others. Years ago, we were content to be good designers, but we’ve since realized that we can’t have nearly as much influence by winning creative awards as we can by helping our clients make a difference in the world.
When our expectations are challenged, our work gets stronger. We’ve encountered a lot of business problems and helped craft solutions to all of them, so we know a thing or two. But we aren’t cocky enough to think we know it all. We don’t accept what we’re told at face value; we’re going to challenge your assumptions and your status quo. If you believe you already have the answer, we’re not the partner for you. We need you to be as open to unexpected possibilities as we are.
Our case studies showcase a lot of beautiful packages for nationally successful brands, but we don’t think of ourselves as package designers. At Retail Voodoo, we want to be known for who we help and what we contribute to the world. These same ideas resonate with our market. And if they do with you, as well, we’re ready to start a conversation.