Building a Food & Beverage Brand
Strategies For Creating a Food and Beverage Brand With Mary Delano
In a world with no shortage of food and beverage brands, launching and sustaining one requires expertise, determination, strategy, and vision.
At Moosylvania, we have more than 20 years of experience marketing in these categories, bringing unique perspectives and tactical thinking to a diverse client roster. Here are five best practices for food and beverage startups that I’ve learned throughout my career.
A version of this article first appeared in Medium.
STEP 1: Identify your brand’s unique value proposition.
To begin marketing your product, you need to understand why you’re marketing it and how it fits into the existing market landscape. What about your brand makes consumers want to buy it over the hundreds of other brands on the shelves? This helps solidify the foundation of your strategy, delivering effective and authentic marketing efforts.
At Moosylvania, this begins with a ‘discovery phase,’ during which we carefully and thoroughly investigate the brand's category and competition.
“This will enable us to map out the potential white space and the areas we could look into to position their brand to stand out amongst the competition.”
STEP 2: Articulate a clear understanding of the target consumer.
It takes more than knowing your consumer's demographic information; take the time to understand who they are as people. What do they like to do in their free time? What are their values? What are their fears? What type of lifestyle do they live and why? By identifying your target audience for food products, you can communicate more effectively.
“This should ground everything you do moving forward — from the brand’s identity to how and where you promote it.”
STEP 3: Develop a strong brand identity.
This is where all of your discovery research comes together. While there is still learning and research at this phase, this is where your brand comes to life. Here, you’ll begin to see where your target consumers’ needs are, see if they are being met in the current market landscape, and position your brand to deliver on their wants.
“This includes the brand name, logo, packaging, tagline, and overall design aesthetics.”
STEP 4: Build a comprehensive go-to-market strategy.
This includes, but is not limited to, channel strategy, sales strategy, marketing plans, and timing. These elements coexist and culminate into what will ultimately be shown to the public.
“This is where you determine the most effective ways to create awareness and drive trials for your brand with your target consumer.”
STEP 5: Begin creating assets and ongoing optimizations.
This is where you begin to see your hard work take shape. Through the creative process, your research, discovery, and brand identity emerge. In this phase, essential assets are created that not only launch your brand but equip it to grow continuously.
“At Moosylvania, we emphasize not just creating these assets but continuously refining them.”
Staying flexible and open to learning from what is and is not working for your brand allows you to pivot and ensure your brand is and continues to stay relevant.
As an agency specializing in beverage branding and marketing services, we prioritize strategy through research and unconventional creativity. Check out some of our success stories to see how we not only talk the talk but also walk the walk.