Our company has been manufacturing high quality artisanal pasta since 1924. Our products are distributed in Italy's foremost gourmet food shops, and we export 90% of our total production to around 60 countries worldwide. Our largest market currently is the United States, where we're present in the most specialized high-end natural and organic food chains.
For the past five years, we've been researching and developing functional foods; pasta which in addition to providing a nutritional intake, also features natural curative elements. For example, pasta can have a higher dose of fiber by adding a larger quantity of bran to its ingredients.
The Project we're creating will feature a range of pasta targeting the functional foods market, both in Italy and abroad, and is especially geared towards the U.S. market.
In recent years, products have appeared on the market such as DANACOL, APTIMEL, milk-based probiotics, and gluten-free foods for people affected by gluten intolerance; our line of pasta thus has curative and preventative properties, such as, for instance, reducing blood cholesterol, providing an intake of omega 3 fatty acids, or as part of a protein based diet.
The price positioning is quite high in relation to the quality of the raw materials and research and development costs. The product will be promoted through sales agents, partners and specialized distributors, and scientific observers.
WHAT IS IT ?
In this step you will find information about the Brand Builder, who is asking you to propose a Solution for the challenge. He introduces himself (as a Brand of course :) The more you understand about the Brand, the more chances you have to create what is wanted.
IMPORTANT: There is a possibility that the Brand Builder prefers not to disclose who he is, usually for confidentiality reasons. Such Briefs will be published in an anonymous way. In this case the Brand Builder will say as much as he feels comfortable saying.
Here are two EXAMPLES
In case there is no problem with disclosing the identity (VISIBLE):
“NMN -No More Nicotine- is a Brand that promises to counteract the damages to the skin that can be caused by smoking. NMN is distributed in pharmacies and drugstores and its price positioning is middle-high; it is mainly promoted through professional endorsement and is not massively advertised.”
In case the Brand doesn’t want to disclose his identity (ANONYMOUS):
“Brand counteracting the damages to skin caused by smoking. Its products are distributed in pharmacies and drugstores with a middle-high price positioning; they are mainly promoted through professional endorsement and are not massively advertised.”
In summary: Who is your client (in a visible or “anonymous” way :)
We'd like to present 6 different types of pasta to the market, each with different specifications:
- Penne with Beta Glucans
- Hyperproteic penne
- Fusilli with omega3
- Low carb and high protein fusilli
- Probiotic rigatoni
- High fiber rigatoni
We're asking our Creators to create an “umbrella” brand that defines each type.
We'd like to receive an image of the products defined in a package of your choice (the winning proposal will then be adapted internally to the packaging formats).
It is essential that the proposed image/packaging fall outside the normal bounds of a "food product,” and should instead reflect the image of a health product for healing people, aimed at consumers who are into sports and fitness, and who are already attentive to natural foods and their daily diet.
WHAT IS IT ?
This is the task the Brand Builder asks you to accomplish. If you don’t understand it, you are completely out of luck !
EXAMPLE
“We ask the Creators to develop a print advertising campaign in order to increase Brand’s visibility. It will be used in national magazines this spring.”
In summary: It’s the objective of the client, therefore your objective too !
As specified above in the project's description, our target is a public comprising men and women, aged between 18 and 50, who love sports, are mindful of the foods they eat and their physical appearance, and regularly exercise.
WHAT IS IT?
People that the Brand Builder wants you to entertain and persuade to think, feel or do something using your creation. Usually you will read about their age, sex, social level and behaviors. You should always keep that information in mind while creating, as the target audience is the final recipient of what you create.
EXAMPLE
“Smoking girls and women who would like to quit smoking but can’t. Usually health-conscious adults who care about their looks. They feel guilty about smoking because they know it is harmful. They read books about it. This is a real problem for them: it’s like “My brain wants something, but my body acts of its own accord”. They don’t relate to my brand, they are just waiting for a trustworthy “helping hand”.
In summary: Get under their skin !
We want to offer a product with natural ingredients, which is healthy for everyone, and can help your body prevent and cure various current health conditions (cholesterol, diabetes, gluten allergies ..)
WHAT IS IT?
The thing that the Brand Builder wants to make the target audience think/feel/do because of your creation.
Here are some very concrete examples:
∞ Some things people can think/feel:
- There is a new Brand (or product or idea or...) out there
- This Brand is better than the alternatives or than it used to be
- This Brand is worth paying more for
∞ Some things people can do:
- Start buying the Brand’s products
- Buy the Brand more often
- Stock more products of the Brand in their outlets
The above written examples are very concrete whilst often the proposition of the Brief is emotional. That’s even better as it can be more inspiring!
EXAMPLE
“We’d like to encourage smokers to use NMN in order to minimize the damage to their health while they are keeping giving up smoking (especially if they’ve already tried and failed before).”
In summary: Get inside their brain !
The owners of this promotional project have been involved in the production of quality organically manufactured pasta for over 80 years.
WHAT IS IT?
This is the key to achieving the objective. It is what supports the proposition and makes it believable. Usually it is a rational statement.
EXAMPLE
“Every cigarette you smoke is causing damage to your appearance. A recent study took several pairs of identical twins where one twin was a lifelong smoker and the other had never smoked. The smokers’ skin was a quarter thinner than that of non-smokers, and in some cases there were differences of up to 40%. NMN contains thinning-blocking anti-oxidants which counteract the effect of nicotine on the skin.”
In summary: You are looking for arguments? You’ll find them here!
- Innovative,
- Natural,
- Clean,
- Dietary,
- Curative
WHAT IS IT?
It’s who the Brand is. Yes... who!
Treat the Brand as a human being, as it has its own personality. To know the personality of the “client” is fundamental in order to provide a tailor-made job. So, read carefully the listed adjectives...
EXAMPLE
“Scientific, trustworthy, result-oriented, ‘a party’ to achieve your goals.”
In summary: Imagine the live person !
We foresee an initial product launch for summer 2011, with a small ad campaign comprising about ten pages in popular current trends magazines (FOR MAN,ELLE,). As of 2012, the product will also be promoted abroad, especially in countries with a higher awareness of natural foods, such as the United States, Scandinavian countries, Japan and Thailand.
Sales channels include small and large drug stores, gyms, sportswear retailers, on-line sales, foreign markets, natural foods stores, herbalist shops.
WHAT IS IT?
A list of places (or media, or things) where the target audience will see the outcome of your creation. In this step sometimes the Brand will also acknowledge you how much he plans to invest into production. This information will give you an insight whether to create a BIG project or make it small... :)
EXAMPLE
“This campaign is going to appear in lifestyle- and health-focused women magazines of New Zealand, during the spring of 2009. We plan to invest 500,000 USD, which means approximately buying 100 single pages.”
In summary: Consider the medium !
This project currently has no competitors in Italy or anywhere else in the world who can offer such a broad range of functional pasta as ours. A large market exists with many products for the GLUTEN FREE sector, but there are no pasta products with characteristics that can match ours. Large-scale distribution offers gluten free products and some pasta products with added fiber or pasta that is considered healthy, such as pasta with spelt and Kamut, which effectively have nothing functional in addition to normal pasta, other than small quantities of selenium or magnesium. Our product line must specifically differentiate itself from the products already on the market today, both in terms of image and packaging.
At a stylistic level, the only indication we want to impart to you is to try to communicate that these products are primarily aimed at people's health and wellbeing, in addition to providing a natural food source.
The proposed brand will initially be linked to the line of pasta products, and can subsequently incorporate other functional products such as biscuits and cookies, juices, ready made meals, frozen and fresh foods, all of which bear functional properties.
For the moment, the company has registered the brand name "PASTA YOUNG": you are free to make use of this name or propose an alternative.
If the Brand has preferences or technical requirements that your Solution has to match, you will find them here.
Here are some items that you may find in this section:
∞ Guidelines or mandatory inclusions (do’s and/or don’ts)
∞ Business objectives
∞ Market and competitors overview
∞ Good and bad samples
Depending on the Brief, you may also find some files attached with a logo, pictures of product(s), a template that you should use in order to submit your ideas, or any other file that the Brand wants to share with you. So, study the attachments before starting creating.
In summary: Anything else you need to know (not written in the 7 steps before) !
