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BUILDING A BRAND TO DISRUPT THE PET FOOD INDUSTRY
From kibble killer to category catalyst: How we turned nutritional innovation into a no BS brand. No bowl required.
NOBL Foods
Client
Date
Dec 2019 - Dec 2020
Role
Agency of Record
Website
Contributors
Chuck Granade
Business Strategist, CEO
Lando Febuary
Creative Director
Pete Gade
Brand & Content Strategist
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Relationship Summary
When your passion meets a brand that shares your enthusiasm, it's more than just work; it's an exhilarating journey. At CRRNT, we're all about aligning ourselves with brands that are as passionate about innovation as we are. That's precisely what happened when we crossed paths with NOBL Foods, a groundbreaking pet food disruptor.
Our journey with NOBL Foods began with a serendipitous introduction. In our dynamic world, connections are everything, and we owe our partnership with NOBL Foods to a mutual friend, Michelle Akers, who introduced us in February 2019. Meeting Jim Galovski, the visionary force behind NOBL Foods, was a pivotal moment.
Initially, our conversations with Jim were intriguing, but we approached the idea of partnering with NOBL Foods with a hint of hesitation. Two key reasons gave us pause. First, startups often overlook the critical role of strategic branding right from the beginning, and we weren't sure if NOBL Foods would fully grasp its importance. Second, the initial impression of freeze-dried dog food bars left us intrigued yet unconvinced.
Can Pet Video: Co-Founder Jim Galovski
Everything changed when Jim traveled to Seattle in July 2019 for a face-to-face meeting. After my lab tasted the innovative, nutritionally-dense, portable dog food bars that Jim and Ryan had ingeniously crafted, a wave of excitement swept over me.
Beyond the product, we connected with Jim's unique personality and saw a golden opportunity to shape NOBL Foods into a brand capable of disrupting the pet food industry. The journey took an exciting turn when we pitched our vision for NOBL Foods against a world-class competitor, Goodby Silverstein and Partners, an agency actively involved with the sister brand, Dog Almighty. Winning the agency work was a remarkable achievement, but the story goes deeper.
"It is NOT easy to have a group of strangers come in and tell you your baby is “ugly”, ESPECIALLY when you are paying them."
-Jim Galovski, Co-Founder Guardian Pet Food, NOBL, Dog Almighty
We later discovered that Jim and Ryan were specifically seeking a branding and consulting agency without prior pet food experience, and that's where we fit perfectly. It's worth noting that pitching and winning over an agency of Goodby Silverstein & Partners' caliber was no small feat. It underlines the trust NOBL Foods placed in us to make the right decisions for their brand and goals.
In the world of bespoke brand consulting, such unwavering trust is a rare gem, and we cherish it as we continue to craft NOBL Foods' success story. Our partnership was a testament to what happens when passion, innovation, and trust converge.
TRANSFORMING A DISRUPTIVE PET FOOD PRODUCT INTO A MARKET-LEADING BRAND
Rewriting the Recipe for Pet Food Branding and Business Building
Our mission was clear: to engineer a brand as groundbreaking as NOBL's food bar. This brand needed to captivate the target audience and optimize marketing investments. Each step was a building block in forging a powerful, unwavering brand—one that instills trust, fosters loyalty, and propels success.
At CRRNT, we believe that true transformation goes beyond the surface. Sometimes, it's about identifying innovation opportunities that can reshape industries.
Unveiling NOBL: Fueling Innovation
The focal point was launching NOBL, a revolutionary, nutrition-packed dog food meal in the form of a bar. Our journey commenced with a client workshop, market exploration, industry analysis, and product immersion, enabling us to grasp NOBL's essence—the business, its customers, and the sales dynamics.
The Art of Brand Building
In today's cutthroat market, a robust brand is indispensable. Yet, building a brand that resonates and stands out demands a meticulous approach. There are several core elements that businesses need to consider when developing a brand: define purpose, pinpoint the audience, craft a unique value proposition, shape a distinctive visual identity, cultivate a consistent brand voice and tone, and finally, expertly manage the brand.
Starting with In and Out of Category Design Research
We were deliberate about spending time discussing various aspects of brands we liked. We looked at color, photography treatments, typography, storytelling, websites, and packaging.
Our market brand and design research revealed what most of us knew at a gut level, the pet food industry was full of stale looking brands. Far too many brands leverage tons of cliché’s in how dogs are portrayed in the brand marketing and how poor design, branding, typography, and messaging was lacking. Or put another, PLENTY of opportunity for the NOBL, Dog Almighty, and Guardian Pet Food brands CRRNT was developing for them to stand out in a noisy market.
The Pet Parents of whom are NOBL’s target demo include outdoor enthusiasts and pet owners that travel so our design research included both. We looked at a handful of pet food brands doing things right (from our perspective) along with in market competitors with stale or confusing brands. We also took a look at outdoor brands, fashion, and food market categories for design reference to inform NOBL’s visual brand development.