2020 Winner
2020 Winners
Truss
VeryVell
Truss Beverages’ ambition is to have a wide-ranging portfolio of cannabis beverages that appeals to all kinds of people. Rethink's task was to create distinct brands within this portfolio, starting with a masterbrand that would encompass sparkling waters, tea, and drops.
The product offering under this masterbrand was intended to stretch across demographics and be inviting to new and experienced cannabis users. The agency needed to create a brand that would appeal to this broad range of consumers, be flexible to work across the varying product line-up and stand out on shelf.
However the cannabis industry regulations created a strict and limiting sandbox for design exploration and the brand needed unique solutions to overcome the challenges.
Insights & Strategy
Overwhelmingly in the recreational cannabis space, brands focus on getting people high - but 80% of cannabis-using Canadians use it as part of their self-care and wellness rituals. While trying to carve out a unique identity that set the brand apart from the competition, Rethink wondered what design solutions it could create if the agency approached it as a wellness brand rather than a cannabis brand.
Execution
From naming, design identity and even beverage styles, the team created the first Truss beverage - Veryvell. A simple typographic choice helps cue wellness, without ever saying wellness. That design choice flows throughout the rest of the design theory from wellness based packaging, colours, and typography.
Rethink created a Veryvell brand icon, an aura, which reflects ideas of energy flows, transition and breath. The aura can be used in many ways and across many applications, providing great flexibility when the regulations often limit on brand elements and size. On packaging, the aura shape creates a ripple always at the top of the label, and the colour of the ripple reflects the product flavour. The aura can also feature different stroke widths that communicate direction thoughts, such as encouraging deep inhales and exhales.
The agency also created a branded design system through typography, colours, packaging, and iconography that educated consumers on product benefits, occasions and dosage - thus putting their mind at ease - while reflecting wellness aesthetically. Calming colours like deep teal, sage, and copper lent approachability and warmth to our dosage control, timing, and serving recommendation icon system.
The first Veryvell products to hit shelves were the Veryvell drops, an innovative line of water-soluble cannabis drops that can be added to any beverage. The drops were named for the need state they complimented, without saying the need state directly - Yawn, Tingle and Exhale. To launch the drops, Rethink created the Drop Everything campaign, which consisted of retail assets and toolkits for budtenders, social, digital and ‘drop off’ kits for self-care during the early months of covid-19 quarantining.
Results and Impact
The Truss Veryvell brand has been applauded by industry professionals, retailers and consumers as fresh and innovative. Specifically the Veryvell drops launch has received great consumer feedback and saw very early adoption. Within the first few weeks the brand over-delivered on impressions and consumer sentiment targets.