Service: Illustration

Hershey Kit Kat

Hershey Kit Kat

The Challenge

When we started working with Hershey, they already had a strong portfolio of cause marketing programs and wanted to build a new program around Black Music Month. They had an idea to extend their platform to the communities in Tennessee, where their manufacturing plant employed hundreds of community members.

With projects like this, we encourage our clients who want to launch DEI campaigns to rethink an approach for momentary impact on sales by considering embodying DEI values as a permanent fixture in their marketing approaches—caring about affected communities and the faces that come from there and still reside there. Hershey was already practicing this philosophy making our job a little easier! 

Our challenge was to develop a campaign that was authentic and supported black communities without Hershey being seen as taking advantage of the cause simply for monetary purposes. We did some light consumer research and found that Hershey was seen as neutral or not seen as a firm supporter of BIPOC communities. Even with DEI programs in place at the corporate level and programs that help youth. Knowing this we needed to ensure that whatever the program was it connected to communities AND supported black people throughout the process.

The Solution

The concept we landed on provided a unique opportunity for Hershey to contribute to local organizations AND support black illustrators. We proposed limited edition packaging using black illustrators and a charitable donation to an organization that supports youth through music. 

The initial test program honed in on working with one organization, Memphis Music Initiative, a Memphis Tennessee non-profit that provides music programming and support for local youth. The program was a great success during its limited trial in Target stores in 2022 and was further expanded for 2023.

What began as a six illustration, one organization program launched in select Target stores is now a national program with six cities, six organizations, and a growing number of retailers with a total $13M buy-in. Some participating retailers include CVS, Kroger, Meijer, Rite Aid, Target, Walmart, Stop N Shop, Walmart, and 7-Eleven.

Finally, discovering and working with the illustrators and seeing the growth in their careers has been a fulfilling experience. We’re proud to support these strong artists and look forward to future programs that elevate and focus on the foundational roots of music in this country.

Services

  • Campaign Marketing Concept
  • Packaging Design
  • Illustration
  • Point of Sale

$13M

Program sales were $13 million across a variety of retailers. There were 171 earned placements and 36K unique visitors to the landing page, in one month.

Hershey Kit Kat
Hershey Kit Kat
Hershey Kit Kat
Hershey Kit Kat
Hershey Kit Kat
Hershey Kit Kat
Hershey Kit Kat
Hershey Kit Kat
Hershey Kit Kat
Hershey Kit Kat

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Have A Ball

Have A Ball

The Challenge

Snack ball brand Have a Ball promised their customers a high-energy, feel-good experience from their organic fruit and nut snack, but their brand identity wasn’t bringing the message home. Have a Ball needed to create a brand identity that would differentiate and compete in the saturated fruit & nut ball market.

WIth an opportunity to create a memorable brand and improve their shelf impact, Have a Ball partnered with The GRO Agency to develop a visual identity and product packaging.

Our challenge with the Have a Ball branding was to find a perspective that uniquely illustrated the health and flavor characteristics of the Have a Ball products, while carving out an eye-catching visual identity that could be easily recognizable on the shelf.

The Solution

Through the art of personification, we helped each Have a Ball product tell the age-old adage of ‘you are what you eat’. Bestowed with lively personalities, each package showcased the Have a Ball product illustrated to perform energetic activities like jumping rope, lifting weights, tap dancing, and more.

This visual strategy immediately informed the customer what to expect after consuming the tasty, functional treat. Live product photography that highlighted the wholesome ingredients paired beautifully with bright, eye-catching colors to help consumers easily find Have a Ball on the shelf.

From there, the brand messaging propagated through a high-energy voice brimming with passion for health and wellness. The brand became a beacon for a well-balanced and nutritious diet, and allowed consumers to ‘have a ball’ while chasing a more active lifestyle.

Services

  • Naming
  • Logo Design
  • Packaging Design
  • Flavor/Size Adaptations
  • Packaging Production
  • Illustration
  • Sales Collateral
GRO helped us create a fun, memorable name and package design for our fruit & nut ball innovation. GRO is adept at building different brand strategies and visual languages for several brands in a portfolio.

Yigit Isiker
President Safe Food Corporation

Have A Ball
Have A Ball
Have A Ball
Have A Ball
Have A Ball

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Wonderlab’s Doozy Pots

Wonderlab’s Doozy Pots

The Challenge

Plant-based ice cream brand Doozy Pots aspired to satisfy your sweet tooth while reshaping food systems as a whole. While food scientist Kirsten Sutaria had a dream for her brand, she still needed to create a brand identity, visual identity, and messaging strategy for her plant based gelato brand.

With the opportunity to introduce a new challenger into the vegan gelato space, Doozy Pots tapped The GRO Agency to develop an inspiring brand identity and product packaging.

Our challenge with the Doozy Pots branding and product packaging was to effectively capture and communicate all the magical alchemy of food science, while appealing to the right consumers who would resonate with the brand message.

The Solution

For an upstart brand in a highly competitive space, carving out a well-defined niche is of the utmost importance. For this female-owned, plant-based ice cream company that brought low-allergen indulgence, regenerative farming, and the magical alchemy of food science, we found the right amount of inspiration within the founder’s story herself.

First, we created a visual identity that illuminated the story behind Doozy Pots, a creative female founder with the goal of reshaping food systems with low allergen, socially responsible, plant-based ice cream. The goal with the illustrations was to catch attention and tell the whole story of the Doozy Pots company right at first glance in the frozen aisle.

Then, the messaging strategy promised an indulgent experience of taste and nourishing ingredients, unlike others in the frozen dessert sector. Not only could Doozy Pots customers satisfy their cravings, but they could do so completely guilt-free with regards to their own health and their support of sustainability through regenerative farming.

Services

  • Brand Strategy
  • Naming
  • Logo Design
  • Packaging Design
  • Flavor/Size Adaptations
  • Packaging Production
  • Illustration
  • Website
In the past 2 years of working with the team at the GRO Agency they have become an extension of our team, transforming our vision into a brand. GRO brought Doozy Pots to life, creating a category disrupting on-shelf presence for our plant-based gelatos and developing a much loved brand identity. They’re responsive, creative, and seriously talented. Everyone at the GRO agency is a pleasure to work with and we’re proud to have them as part of the extended Doozy Pots family.

Kirsten Sutaria
Founder Wonderlab’s Doozy Pots

Wonderlab’s Doozy Pots
Wonderlab’s Doozy Pots
Wonderlab’s Doozy Pots
Wonderlab’s Doozy Pots
Wonderlab’s Doozy Pots
Wonderlab’s Doozy Pots
Wonderlab’s Doozy Pots
Wonderlab’s Doozy Pots
Wonderlab’s Doozy Pots

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Nope Beverages

Nope Beverages

The Challenge

Alt-cocktail beverage brand Nope was already changing cocktail culture, but decided it was time to further carve their niche in the skyrocketing non-alcoholic beverage industry. With a sober/sober-curious audience who still very much wanted to be part of the scene, Nope needed to design their product packaging in a way that could help Nope drinkers fit in, and at the same time, stand out from their alcohol-drinking peers.

With an opportunity to appeal to sober socialites in the booming, no- and low-alcohol beverage sector (+506% since 2015, with projections of a $280 million market size in 2021 and 7.1% growth by 2025, according to Nielsen), Nope brought on The GRO Agency to deliver bold packaging concepts for their various flavored beverages.

Our challenge with the Nope packaging design was to confidently engage young consumers on the shelf, across digital platforms, and even at the bar, while punctuating the occasion with a social statement that didn’t alienate drinkers.

The Solution

Through current-trend analysis on market data and social media, the Nope brand was re-engineered to address the issues that Nope’s target consumers face when it comes to drinking alcohol and social events,while positioning their “crafted” cocktails as the first-choice for taste and quality.

First, cocktail-themed color palettes and textures reminiscent of a vintage 90’s cocktail bar, the Nope packaging alludes to a smooth, crisp sipping experience that visually promises to satisfy the consumer’s thirst.

What’s more, at a first glance or in a dimly lit space, the Nope packaging design and colors are intentionally indistinguishable from a traditional alcoholic beverage, thus empowering the consumer to share their life choices at their own discretion.

Finally, the brand messaging generates eye-catching sass and a feisty spirit that gives the consumer a low-calorie, celebratory beverage without the hangover. In other words, Nope became the brand that let you party hard, responsibly.

Services

  • Brand Strategy
  • Logo Design
  • Packaging Design
  • Flavor/Size Adaptations
  • Packaging Production
  • Illustration
  • Website
Thank you to The Gro Agency for turning my words and ideas into a vibrant and bold package that captures the fun and articulates the mission of our brand. You are truly a multi-talented team that brought a level of passion to this project that matched my own to create something that not only we love but our customers can’t put down. They’re hooked and we are grateful!

Beth Ann Shaeffer
Founder NOPE Beverages

Nope Beverages
Nope Beverages
Nope Beverages
Nope Beverages
Nope Beverages
Nope Beverages
Nope Beverages
Nope Beverages
Nope Beverages
Nope Beverages
Nope Beverages
Nope Beverages

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