Helping an Eastern brand go West

What is the frank story behind VIGOR & SAGE? What makes it an honest brand? Why should consumers believe this?

It all starts with the vision of our client. The owner of this new brand, Mr Jerry Xu, is also the owner of the largest Chinese pet food brand in the world. His existing brand combines the highest quality ingredients with the best of Chinese and Western scientific research. He wanted to use this knowledge for a new brand outside of China.

His ambition: to create the most healthy and tasty pet food on the market.

Our communication process started with the creation of a brand name. Something that made logical sense with our products. High quality pet food ingredients give pets energy: VIGOR. The foods are all created using herbs and a generous portion of Chinese wisdom: SAGE.

Jerry wanted VIGOR & SAGE to stand out on the shelf. To be nothing like any of the other pet food brands. We started with research into the market. Not just into pet food trends, but also human food trends. One long-term trend for human foods is the move towards biological and responsible food sources. Many of these brands have packaging that reflects this new transparency and honestness.

We also discovered in various publications another trend: the humanization of pets. That pets are seen as a family member. Like a child. Or a brother or sister.

Combining these two strands of thought: what would happen if we created packaging that looked like a health food for humans? Using high quality photography of the ingredients, comparable to what you might find in a beautifully crafted cookery book. THE VIGOR & SAGE packaging was born.

We translated this theme to the POS material, brochures, leaflets, factsheets, the website, posters and other communication material. The brand was launched in six European countries in 2017. The packaging won the top award at the WINA FESTIVAL and PENTAWARDS.