Elevating Brand Presence Through Packaging & POP Display Design

Together with two other members, pitching an advertising campaign for a local food product company to participate in the Natural Products Expo West in Mar 2025. 

Team members: Pyae Sone Moe, Milo Gonzales, and Nhien Nguyen

Project overview

About the Client

Bibi Ji’s Chutney is a salsa hot sauce company founded by two brothers in San Jose in 2018. It offers a unique taste made from fresh vegetables and a special Indian recipe passed down through many generations. It is the first universal Indian salsa hot sauce on the market.

The problems

1. The product is limited distributed in the Bay Area and faces strong competition in the market.

2. The product needs to be kept in the refrigerator and stays fresh for only 2 months after being made.

3. The company lacks manpower and is mostly run by the two brothers.

The need

Need a booth design and other creative materials to support the company's entry into the Natural Products Expo West Exhibition on March 4-7, 2025, to attract business partners, retail companies, and food distributors, particularly Costco, Safeway, and Whole Foods.

My role & responsibilities

Leading the team and responsible for:

• Website audits and solutions

• Research on competitor 1

• Improve visual brand identity

• Redesign Labels

• Design booth mockup (collaborative work, all members' contribution)

Brand Audit

This task was a collaborative effort, with contributions from all team members. Our analysis revealed that Bibi Ji's Chutney required improvements across its brand identity, visual elements, communication strategies, and customer support.

Marketing Mix 

Defining Problems, Challenges, and Goals

Through audits and research into the company's brand, image, competitors, market growth potential, and target clients, we identified 5 critical problems and their corresponding solutions:

Visual Identity: 

• Create a unique and strong brand identity.

• Ensure all online and social media pages are visually unified.

• Achieve overall visual consistency across all platforms.

• Adjust the visual identity to effectively appeal to the target audience.

• Incorporate professional photos into promotional materials and across all media channels.

Website:

• Follow the new brand style guidelines to ensure visual consistency.

• Improve menu navigation for a more user-friendly experience.

• Add comprehensive product information including Nutrient Facts, ingredients, and storage instructions on product pages.

• Update the website with a list of distributors or retail stores for easy consumer access.

• Replace the current chat box with a dedicated FAQ page for self-service support.

Social Media: 

• Increase community participation and activity.

• Display professional product photos across all platforms.

• Implement well-defined Calls to Action (CTAs) in every post.

• Develop and utilize a comprehensive social media calendar.

• Deliver effective messages to the right target customers.

Label Design:

• Include a comprehensive nutritional label.

• Clearly display the expiration date.

• Provide clear storage instructions.

• Achieve clear visual hierarchy and harmony on the label.

• Optimize label scaling for various product sizes.

Accessibility: 

• Achieve excellent customer service across all platforms.

• Increase product awareness and accessibility in retail stores.

• Achieve an optimal balance between sales volume and profit margin.

• Offer different container sizes tailored for restaurant use.

New Brand Visual Identity

We have identified a significant opportunity to elevate the brand to a higher position. By re-branding, we can better align with the right target consumers and maximize  the brand’s potential.

Let's review the current visual from packaging to online and social media.

Logo: We will retain the existing mark but reduce redundant elements surrounding it to enhance focus, ensuring loyal consumers can still recognize the brand.

• The primary logo will be red, a color that conveys feelings of spiciness and hunger.

• White will be used exclusively as an accent in the palette.

• Black will only be used for black-and-white printing.

Typography: We will combine serif and sans-serif typefaces. Specifically, DM Sans, which offers a range from extra-light to ultra-black, is simple and highly readable, even in small print or on digital devices.

Color Palette: The palette will feature green, yellow, and red, reflecting the fresh ingredients used in the products.

Iconography: Icons will incorporate flat illustrations or representations of fresh vegetables.

Photography: Product photography will emphasize the fresh, healthy ingredients, showcasing the products in an appealing, health-conscious way.

Through research on the company’s social media post history, we discovered that they have struggled with managing posts and responding to their customers and followers. However, it is essential to use social media to gain interaction and awareness for the company and its activities. Therefore, making 6 posts within a month is a feasible plan for them.

Before the event

A post will be scheduled two weeks before the event to introduce the new look of the products and encourage consumers to try them.

A week before the event, an engaging post will offer a reward: the first 10 customers who comment and tag the post will receive a free jar of chutney. By giving away free products, we aim to maximize interaction and generate word-of-mouth promotion within the community and on social media.

Two days before the event, a post that invites people to visit the company’s booth at the Expo event.

During the event

On the first day of the event, a post will showcase the company’s booth and promote a raffle giveaway for a chance to win free products.

After the event

A thank-you message will be posted at the closing of the event to express gratitude to customers who stopped by and tried the products.

A week later, a final post will announce the raffle ticket winners, marking the conclusion of a successful campaign.

It's The Sauce that Counts campaign