The Fuse Story
Five Tips to Make Your Brand Stand Out
Branding is a vital part of business and a clear, memorable brand is key to standing out in a sea of logos and products.
We were excited when the opportunity came up to help Emerald Health Therapeutics develop the brand and identity for their innovative nano-emulsion cannabis beverage shot called Fuse - the first of its kind in Canada. Available in three flavours of Apple, Mango and Frappé, these 30ml/1 oz beverage shots were created to get the good vibes going, containing 10mg THC per shot.
To be enjoyed straight from the bottle, poured over ice or mixed into your beverage of choice, the shots are versatile in use whether it’s on the go, or at home on the patio.
Requiring a full top-to-tail branding, our team led the project from naming the brand and package design, to creating a strategy for how the end consumer experiences the brand, both online and in-person. We coupled extensive research with market know-how, and leveraged the strategic and creative expertise of our Creative Director, Kris Blizzard, to bring Fuse to life in a fresh and inventive way.
Cannabis branding is a tricky topic to tackle, as the current Canadian cannabis advertising and marketing regulations are extremely restrictive and don’t allow the freedoms other industries have. But with challenge comes opportunity, especially to get creative with the brand narrative, ideal packaging, branded swag and age-gated brand experiences.
Using our branding journey with Fuse as an example, we break down our top five tips on how to create a brand that stands out from the crowd.
1. Know Your Target Audience
The goal was to create a cool, appealing brand identity and experience that would appeal to a Millenial and Gen Z consumer base who enjoys socializing through current culture; music, art, fashion, outdoor adventure and gaming.
In collaboration with the client, we created a vibrant brand identity, that tied together the name, logo, and packaging design to resonate with this audience, along with the tone of voice.
2. Create The Story
At the heart of every brand is a narrative and we rooted the brand identity in language that is energized, confident and engaging. The tagline “The Start of Something Good” engages the consumer to the end result of “This is how you Fuse.”
The brand identity development below became the north star for creating assets for the brand, becoming the guide to inform its creation and development:
“It’s all about making connections, electrifying a moment, a mood, and making it sweeter.”
“Fuse quickens, controls and elevates the cannabis experience. With its next-level nanoemulsion tech--oil sonically dispersed into the tiniest droplets—the good vibes hit faster and more predictably.”
“You, your friends, the light, the music, the feeling—drink it all in.”
“This is how you Fuse.”
3. Define the Look
Informed by our research into the target consumer (tip 1) and our established brand story (tip 2) we created the Fuse logo as the anchor to the brand experience, using a bold font underlined by a lightning bolt to illustrate the lively and electrifying possibilities of the product. We further developed the brand presence through art direction for imagery, video, website design and social media content creation.
On the Fuse ideal packaging, we used bold gradient colours in psychedelic swirl patterns to illustrate the fun, vivid and dynamic nature of the nano shots. Each flavour shot (Apple, Mango and Frappé) had a custom colour palette to represent the flavour.
4. Create Branded Swag That Lives On!
To create further hype through branded items that would live on past the launch, we produced custom items that would integrate into the daily life of our target audience and supported the story of the brand.
This included branded hammocks, Bluetooth speakers, branded hoodies, hats, educational cards and shot glasses with dosage guidelines.
5. Launch with a Bang
After seven months of development, we debuted the Fuse brand through an integrated launch strategy that included an extensive media relations push, influencer engagement, strategic partnerships, paid advertising (within marketing restrictions), and media and influencer mailers. This all lead to our massive brand debut: an age-gated 19+ hybrid cocktail making event and DJ performance held in-person at a premiere outdoor venue in Vancouver, and live streamed for the rest of Canada to join.
Achieving more than 3.3 million impressions across media and social platforms, approximately 130 attendees joined the in person and virtual events nationwide. The launch was a huge success in gaining buzz for the brand and product, with notable attendances by nine key cannabis retailers in British Columbia.
A captivating brand and story, combined with high-quality, innovative products that resonate with the audience is key to building trust and loyalty with consumers. At Nine Point Agency, we leverage strategic partners, alongside the expertise of our team to deliver brands that stand out through our creative branding services offering.
Stay on point, and get in touch with our team to learn more.
