Brand Strategy for Future Forward Brands

As we stepped into this new decade, we took an intentional pause to evaluate our brand  purpose and values to make sure they aligned with the impact we want to have and the type of brands we want to partner with—a foundational exercise we encourage all our clients to engage in.

The growing concern of the state of the environment and our future led us to recommit our creative energy to understanding the issues, contributing to the solutions and designing with purpose for brands working to affect change.

As food and drink trends lean toward conscious consumerism and climate smart practices we are proud to see two of our pioneering brand partners leading the way with innovative business models and business goals that extend beyond profit.

Straus Family Creamery and Bonterra Organic Vineyards were recently cited in the Huffpost Article, The Biggest Food And Drink Trends For 2020 for their carbon-neutral goals and environmentally friendly practices. The article quoted Melissa Abbott—vice president of culinary insights at The Hartman Group, and Kelly Landrieu—global coordinator of local brands at Whole Foods Market as saying, “Consumers have expectations around how their food’s grown, where it’s coming from and what it’s doing to better our world,” Landrieu said. Now, brands that are following regenerative agriculture practices will be more specific in labeling. “You’ll see a greater window into the product itself rather than just ‘grass-fed,’” Abbott said.

Consumers are feeling dire about our impact on the planet. They are raising their voices to let brands know what they want and expect, in order to align with them. Are you listening? Is your brand messaging clearly conveying your value system to your audience? There is no better time to pause and refocus your strategy than the beginning of the year—or decade.