2021 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Challenge
Truss Beverage Co offers a wide-ranging portfolio of cannabis beverages with wide appeal. The task was to create distinct brands within this portfolio, starting with a masterbrand focused on self-care 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 goal was to create a brand that would be flexible enough to work across the varied product line-up and stand out on shelf. However, cannabis industry regulations create a strict and limiting sandbox for design exploration and the brand needed unique solutions to overcome the challenges.

Insight
While 80% of cannabis-using Canadians use it as part of their self-care and wellness rituals, brands within the recreational cannabis space focus on getting people high. To carve out a unique new brand identity, Rethink’s solution was to approach it as a wellness brand rather than a cannabis brand.

Execution
From naming, design identity and even beverage styles, Veryvell, the first Truss beverage brand, cues wellness, without ever saying wellness. Via packaging and typography, the Veryvell branding reflects ideas of energy flow, transition and breath. The design system uses iconography to educate consumers on product benefits, occasions and dosage, while calming colours like deep teal, sage, and copper lent approachability and warmth.

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, the “Drop Everything” campaign 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
The Truss Veryvell brand has been applauded by industry professionals, retailers and consumers as fresh and innovative, and within the first few weeks the new brand over-delivered on impressions and consumer sentiment targets.

Credits

CCO: Aaron Starkman, Christina Yu
ECD: Mike Dubrick
CSO: Sean McDonald
Head of Art: Joel Holtby
Creative Director: Joel Holtby, Jake Lim,
ACD: Skye Deluz, Naeem Ghafari
Art Director: Skye Deluz,
Designer: Jake Lim
Digital Designer: Dustin Gamble, Alex Fleming
Writer: Naeem Ghafari
Strategist: Julian Morgan, Sean McDonald
Producer: Todd Harrison, Narine Artinian
Production Coordinator: Spencer Houghton
Editor: Alex Fleming, Dustin Gamble
Audio House: Vapor Music
Account Services: Becky Rudson, Marie Lunny
PR Company: Agnostic