Five minutes with Simon Forster
Simon Forster, founder and creative director of strategic branding agency Robot Food, speaks to Transform magazine about how brand adds value to a business, particularly in the health and nutrition sector, and why being a product in 2021 isn't enough.
How can brand add value to a business, particularly in the health/nutrition sector which is expected to grow in 2021?
With more people turning to fitness and nutrition and making it a firm part of their daily routines, it’s important that brands in the space communicate in a way that resonates with their lifestyles. After all, it’s the brands that understand us on a personal level that we really buy into and rave about to our friends.
Sports nutrition specifically has always been a noisy category dominated by heavy discounts and buff bodies. Every brand looks and sounds the same so it can be pretty daunting to know where to start and who to trust, causing a lot of consumers to base their decision purely on what gets them the cheapest deal.
So, in order to really cut through, businesses need to ignore the category tropes and stand out as a credible leader with a confident, consistent brand. One that feels relatable and accessible to a broad audience. Getting this right will help transform a product from a perceived commodity to an aspirational lifestyle choice that ultimately has more value and desire.
But it’s important to note that branding goes far beyond the external. A well-executed brand is the visual and verbal embodiment of the business’ mission and values, and plays an integral part in galvanising team ambitions and helping steer business objectives.
Why does being a lifestyle brand instead of a manufacturing brand increase the chances of success?
Many consumer brands are driven by production capabilities, volume sales and efficiency in the supply chain. The secret to a good one is that you just wouldn’t know it.
In the sports nutrition space there’s often a blurred line between a corporate identity and a consumer brand – the difference is the quality and depth of the brand positioning and articulation. People want to buy into more than just a blatant logo. They’re interested in what drives the brand and the values of the people behind it.
At Robot Food we’re hell-bent on disrupting categories. For us, true disruption isn’t about being shouty and brash. It’s about cutting through by answering a genuine consumer need and resonating in a way that other brands can’t. Just like Simba have done for mattresses, Oatly for milk alternatives and Tesla for car production.
Why do you think that in 2021, a product isn’t enough?
Because studies show that statistically the majority of brands are replicable. There are so many categories where you need a level of education to distinguish one product from another. And often it’s only because the brands operating in them are doing what’s expected from them. How, as consumers, are we supposed to make a choice without the emotional pull of a differentiated brand? I always liken it to choosing a chocolate bar with a hangover. It’s bloody hard work.
Consumers have got more choice and are savvier than ever. So if companies want to take market share from competitors everything needs to be carefully considered from their consumer’s point of view to ensure their brand is clearly differentiated from the rest. And it’s the brand values that need to underpin this point of difference.
How has the recent rebrand you worked on for Bulk broadened the company’s appeal and created an inclusive brand experience for all?
We wanted to make the brand more accessible and skirt the intimidation felt from the category, whilst striking the balance between the needs of both existing and potential bulk™ customers.
Through exploration, our team found that the common theme between both audiences – serious athletes in training, and more casual, health-conscious lifestyles – was the value they placed on the fitness ‘journey’. So, we centred the brand around the idea that no matter who you are, if you have a goal, bulk™ will help you achieve it.
We opted for a ‘less is more’ approach, breaking away from the confines of the sports nutrition category to create a clean, confident identity. The project was a complete strategic overhaul and rebrand, shifting the direction to create a brand that could sit comfortably beside lifestyle fashion and contemporary health and beauty brands. We dropped ‘Powders’ from the name and softened the connotations of the word ‘bulk’, to open the doors to a much wider range of lifestyle consumers.
