OVERVIEW
Rijk Zwaan is the 4th largest vegetable breeding company in the world with over 3000 employees in 30 different countries and over €400 million revenue yearly, offering vegetable seeds to growers and providing wide assortment vegetables within the sector. Besides the business development, I was also responsible for the brand strategy of iGrow: a separate company wholly owned by Rijk Zwaan to grow vegetables within the consumer packaging using a vertical farming system. As iGrow is an innovative product to reach new customers, the entire branding had to be designed from scratch.
TEAM
Project Manager
Communication & Marketing Specialist
Brand Owner
Account Manager
My role in the project: I was the project manager and the brand owner for the project, working closely with the account manager and communication & marketing specialist. I oversaw and lead the core team to achieve a clear brand strategy that helped distinguish us from the competition and made us more recognisable to customers. I also designed the visual expressions of the brand.
We proposed a new brand strategy that provided a clear purpose for why we were engaging customers and how we were doing so. Not only does it provide consistency for our customers, but it provides a focus for employees.
CHALLENGE
Sometimes a larger company may produce products that carry their own weight independently of the parent company. This strategy involves establishing the brand as a unique identity that is easily recognisable. This was the case for iGrow: a separate company wholly owned by Rijk Zwaan to grow vegetables within the consumer packaging using a vertical farming system. However, iGrow needed stronger branding to gain a memorable impression on clients but also to allow clients to know what to expect from the company.
SOLUTION
Decisions around the name groot, logo, and tagline stem from the key elements of the brand strategy. By defining what groot is, I created clear, actionable plans that will reach marketing goals, drive brand value and unified brand experience. The brand definition served as the measuring stick in evaluating marketing materials and strategies.
PROCESS
Discover
SWOT-analysis
iGrow is a vertical farming system to produce healthy, reliable vegetables for everyone, everywhere. Unlike other vegetable farming systems, iGrow guarantees a real turn-key solution without agricultural expertise needed. Moreover, iGrow provides seamless, shorter production and sales processes, eliminating the steps of harvesting, packing and washing produce.
iGrow is a vertical farming system to produce healthy, reliable vegetables for everyone, everywhere. Unlike other vegetable farming systems, iGrow guarantees a real turn-key solution without agricultural expertise needed. Moreover, iGrow provides seamless, shorter production and sales processes, eliminating the steps of harvesting, packing and washing produce.
The vertical farming industry is still quite new, so a preferred total solutions provider does not exist yet. With the increased demand for clean, food-safe and local products, iGrow could be the leader in the vertical farming industry.
A quick search on the internet shows that the name iGrow is used for several other products, such as a growing app from TNO, for laser hair restoration and even for a weed growing game. Using iGrow as a commercial name could lead to weak branding without gaining a memorable impression on clients. Besides, it will not allow clients to know what to expect from the company.
Some of the competitors
Define
Industry Benchmarking
To understand the market that iGrow is in, and the competitors within it - we first conducted an industry benchmark on brand features, design styles and channels.
To understand the market that iGrow is in, and the competitors within it - we first conducted an industry benchmark on brand features, design styles and channels.
Looking at immediate competitors in the vertical farming sector, as well as smaller competitors in the hydroponic industry, gave us a good idea of what's available to customers now, and how we can do things better.
Ideation Workshop
I facilitated an ideation workshop with the project team to define the brand strategy. We started with a short introduction to iGrow. Then we came up with the associations we had regarding iGrow and the associations we had with the competitors.
I facilitated an ideation workshop with the project team to define the brand strategy. We started with a short introduction to iGrow. Then we came up with the associations we had regarding iGrow and the associations we had with the competitors.
I also asked the team to link iGrow and other competitive brands, with an existing brand from other industries, such as car brands. This clarified how we perceived each vertical farming brand and what to expect each and every time they experience the brand. The associations of iGrow were used as inspirations to determine the brand's objectives, mission, vision and personality and how iGrow differentiated from the competition in the market.
Finally, we brainstormed about new names, rank them and eventually - select the best of them that would eventually embody the brand identity.
Design
Mental Brand Identity
Vision
groot is the best vertical farming system for high-tech entrepreneurs
groot is the best vertical farming system for high-tech entrepreneurs
Mission
produce healthy, reliable vegetables for everyone. everywhere
produce healthy, reliable vegetables for everyone. everywhere
Personality
sustainable, reliable, innovative
sustainable, reliable, innovative
Promise
groot delivers the most reliable and seamless production system without agricultural expertise needed
groot delivers the most reliable and seamless production system without agricultural expertise needed
Renaming iGrow to groot
- groot means in Dutch “big”. Besides groot is a Dutch company, we have the ambition to be the biggest player in the controlled multi-layer growing system. I think this is a nice word to express both that are Dutch and that we aspire to be big.
- groot is a word combination of growing and roots. The attached roots are evidence that the produce is grown in the consumer packaging. Harvesting has not taken place and will be done by the consumers which will enhance the perception of the produce is fresh, long shelf-life and clean.
- Finally, groot is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. groot is a Flora colossus from Planet X, the capital of the branch worlds. groot can absorb wood as food, and has the ability to regenerate. groot can control trees and plants, using them to attack others, and appears to be resistant to fire. groot is able to sprout dramatically increasing mass which then severely inhibits movement. Besides the fact that I am into Marvel Comics, I think groot, the fictional superhero, has the same superpowers as our system: the ability to sprout dramatically and regrow each time from a sprig.
The brand revolved around the personality of sustainable, reliable and innovative - key messages that I wanted to bring across to its customers. These were achieved through the use of a pastel colour palette and round and friendly-looking fonts.
Validate
The brand strategy was presented to the company management and it received positive feedback. It was the result of days of iterations and coming up with a design language that would work with the brand identity of groot. The proposed brand strategy was used as guidelines to collaborate with a brand agency that would finalise the visual (physical and digital) brand appearance of groot.
*click on picture to enlarge
