Pure Fresh Sales – Selma, California
When you think persimmons, you probably think cookies or bread. However, the Fuyu variety is not for baking… it’s for biting!
Unlike traditional persimmons, the Fuyu variety is crisp and sweet, sort of like biting into an apple but tasting like autumn. To begin this consumer education challenge, we needed a product name. Together with the client, we settled on Simmis. It’s simple, catchy and a palindrome (same spelling backward and forward): a designer’s dream. Most of all, the play on the name persimmon immediately references the product itself while being approachable and memorable.
Like apples, you can bite into them or slice them. We used the directional tagline, “Take a Bite. Share a Slice”, as another way to educate buyers.
Inspired by the product’s skin color, we used purple and orange throughout, which are complementary hues on a color wheel.
When we designed the Simmis bags, we wanted to signal to shoppers that just like apples, you can slice or bite right into Simmis. The clear window also allows buyers to see Simmis’ attractive color, which enhances the overall look of the packaging.
When designing the bags, boxes and bins, we wanted to incorporate educational tidbits in an artistic way. When sliced vertically, Fuyu persimmons resemble the look of a sand dollar, so we utilized a freehand illustration of this shape throughout the design.
Our in-house photographer had the opportunity to take multiple product photoshoots in our studio when the Simmis were at the peak of their freshness. In addition to the standard glamour shots of Simmis, we shot bags, boxes and bins as well as lifestyle images that included a human element. To enhance featured recipes on the online landing page and social media, we also sliced and staged them on a charcuterie board and paired them with PureFresh pomegranates on a salad for a perfect cross-selling opportunity.
PureFresh’s main site hadn’t yet been refreshed, but we couldn’t wait. We had to quickly put together a fun landing page that could live within a website that wasn’t yet updated. Our web developers put together a single page that reflected the Simmis look and feel featuring recipes and key nutritional information.
With a new name and a new look, Simmis was ready for its retail store debut! To entice produce buyers, we put together a paid digital program that would entice consumers into stores to buy and try. Stater Bros. in Southern California bit on this co-branded opportunity, and its stores enjoyed the benefit of paid advertising in the one-mile radius of each store. The messaging, “Take a Bite. It’s just a Buck.” reinforced the special pricing offer, and consumers responded. The combined in-store displays and digital advertising resulted in an increase of over 50% in Simmis shipments to Stater Bros. in 2020 versus 2019. The Simmis branding and campaign efforts were so successful that PureFresh is applying a similar strategy to other commodities in 2021.
While branding and marketing can seem complex, our approach is simple. Stop to understand the marketplace, target consumers and your goals. Pause so we take the time to explore options and opportunities that align with our understanding. Then go full steam ahead on materializing the strategies and reaping the rewards.
Ready to take your product from Farm to Shelf™? Contact us for a complimentary discovery meeting to see if we can help.
Social Media Management
The key to a successful strategy is scroll-stopping content. Our design team created fun, branded graphics to help build a digital presence. With some crisp, sweet content in hand, our media team created an engaging and informative strategy for @eatsimmis on Facebook and Instagram. We organically built a community of followers by combining colorful, eye-catching insights with interactive posts.