PRODUCT BRANDING - THE AGBO JEDI STORY
The Effect of Great Branding On Product Perception
Agbo Jedi — The one-stop medicinal herbal drink for the average Nigerian; sold in shot glasses by women hawking around the streets of Lagos. We have been told it “cures everything” (I haven’t seen any scientific evidence to back this claim though). The team at Disrupt DNA decided to give this popular drink a facelift just to show that looks do matter and a little rebranding exercise can make all the difference for an ordinary ‘low-quality’ product, set it apart in the market and spark a connection with its target audience.
If you visited a supermarket looking to buy this Nigerian herbal drink popularly known as Agbo Jedi and you were offered both these bottles, chances are you would pick the one on the right. While there may be a host of other factors that influence your decision to choose the canned product, the most logical one would be that it looks better and thus, it must be better. This is what great branding does to products; it influences our decision to purchase.
The importance of great branding cannot be overstated, apart from making a memorable impression on consumers; it also distinguishes your company from your competitors. Great Branding influences everything; from the customers who will buy it to how much they will pay for it and whether or not retailers will stock your product. For example, when you look at the product on the left, the instant perception is that it is of low quality, but that changes when you look at the product on the right.
At Disrupt DNA, we believe that branding is the subtle art of actively shaping your product/service and below, we outline our process for achieving this rebrand.
THE BRANDING PROCESS
- RESEARCH
During the initial stage, we needed to gather all the information surrounding the product — Agbo Jedi. What is Agbo Jedi made of? What is the current price point? What is its unique selling advantage? What type of customers buy Agbo-Jedi? Where is it currently sold? We did this because we understand that in order to carry out a rebranding that resonates with the target audience, we need to know how and why they purchase Agbo-Jedi and then use that feedback to improve the design of the product.
- DETERMINING ITS RAISON D’ÊTRE
The raison d’être is defined as the most important reason for something’s existence. Before branding a company, product or service, we dig deeper to determine the end benefit, the real value proposition, so that the finished design remains relevant and timeless. We call this choosing its raison d’être; it is what becomes the central theme for the design. In this case of the Agbo-Jedi product, its raison d’être is that it is a very bitter herbal supplement that detoxifies the body and helps with general body wellness.
- IDEATE
Once we know all about the product and its unique advantage, we look at how best to convey that message. This is where we prioritise what elements in the branding strategy are the most important. Is it the overall look and feel of the name? Is it the need to stand out? What colours best represent the brand? Usually, there are a lot of factors we consider, but by prioritising, we can ensure that we deliver branding that is exciting but not overwhelming.
- CREATE
Usually, at this stage, we create first drafts and check them against all our previous processes. We want to ensure that all the elements represent the brand perfectly.
When designing, we typically look at four options.
1. What the client has asked for?
2. The opposite of what the client has asked for.
3. What we interpret out of the brief?
4. The opposite of what we interpret.
Usually, one of them will give us the WOW factor and the logo below gave that to us.
Now that we had gotten the right logo, we proceeded to design the can packaging. This is where most of the research we did in step one came to play. We knew that this product’s packaging must tell a story; It was more than just a design; it is a sensual experience that must engage the consumers through sight and touch. All the details contained in this packaging must help consumers understand what Agbo Jedi is, how it should be used and who should use it.
Consumers needed to know that this was not a variation of the Agbo-Jedi product and that it is indeed the same Agbo-Jedi, just rebranded. We included the ingredients, and boldly represented one of its unique selling points — 100% NATURAL HERBAL SUPPLEMENT.
- FINALISE AND TRANSFER ELEMENTS
Now that we had created the right packaging design, it was time to transfer all these elements to a can or bottle so we could see the finished look and feel. These are the final looks for the Agbo-Jedi product.
You can learn more about our design process for the Agbo Jedi product branding by clicking the video below.
The Bottom Line…
Branding goes a lot further than just logos, fonts and colours. Your entire design strategy should incite a connection between the product and the customer. At the end of the day, your brand is a business, and a great design is essential to delivering the results you need. A good brand will have no trouble bringing in revenue, and customers will be more likely to do business with you because of the familiarity and assumed dependability of your brand.
