The story 

For years, Driscoll’s sold its fresh berries in clamshells that bore a label in the upper corner with traditional yellow and green colors. The label had the same shape no matter what type of berry and included an image of a famer picking a mélange of berries. The logo appeared in straight, sans-serif font.

The challenge

Driscoll’s is a privately held company that sells fresh strawberries and other berries. Its headquarters is in Watsonville, Calif., and it has been family-owned for more than 100 years. As the leading provider of fresh and organic berries, Driscoll’s works with more than 40,000 people globally to produce the highest-quality strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries in the world. Driscoll’s contracts with independent farmers in California, Florida, Mexico and Australia. The company reportedly estimates that it has 34 percent market share of U.S. strawberry sales, 48 percent in organic. Driscoll’s brand name can command as much as a 30 percent price premium over competitors. Now, the company is rebranding to establish a global unification of its brands as it expands worldwide.

The solution 

Driscoll’s global unification of its brand strategy  and design has been inspired by a  multi-year journey including global research that uncovered strong emotional links between consumers and fresh berries, unmatched by any of today’s most popular fruits or veggies. Across the globe, consumer research validates that fresh berries consistently have strong positive emotional associations to summertime and summer picnics, childhood and happy memories when compared to other popular produce.

The brand also conducted a U.S. survey, the results of which demonstrate a direct connection between eating berries and joy. In fact, data suggest that berries consistently trigger positive emotions and that flavor is the main reason why people eat berries, as compared to today’s most popular fruits and veggies, including kale, beets and lettuce, which are more often associated with and chosen for functional benefits.

Driscoll’s is recognized as the most well-known fresh berry brand. The new global brand strategy is expected to differentiate and elevate the brand’s equity to capture the emotional benefit consistently experienced from eating fresh berries.

The new brand look and feel includes a logo, packaging, in-store merchandising and all digital and social media touch points. The new branding is being rolled out across the U.S., Europe, Australia and China in 2016. 

Driscoll’s new brand design was inspired by the berries themselves as colorful pop icons of the natural world. The individual colors and shapes of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are captured in a colorful palette and an expressive typography. While the design approach is updated and modern, it is still familiar to loyal consumers as it maintains the foundational equity colors of green and yellow, and retains the brand tag, “Only the Finest Berries.”

On labels, the company name is more prominent, and the updated Driscoll’s logo reflects a personalized, handwritten style. An iconic Driscoll’s Dot was designed to sit atop of the “i.” While the Driscoll’s Dot can take on the color of each berry, the main dot is red to reflect that strawberries were Driscoll’s first crop. Labels on clamshells will be a similar shape to the type of berries in the container.

“Consumers are at the heart of everything we do,” says Frances Dillard, director of marketing and global brand leader. “Our farming heritage and company’s mission is centered on delighting consumers with great-tasting berries, and with this new global brand strategy our intention is to express and convey the happiness our berries bring to the eating occasion.”

Fresh berries are one of the fastest-growing produce categories, accounting for a significant share of produce sales, especially in the U.S. where berry consumption has driven the sales growth of the overall produce industry. Berries have contributed more than twice the absolute dollar increase over the past five years when compared to other fruits or vegetables. Future category growth likely will be dependent on the emergence of brands that can capture consumer trust and loyalty. 

For more information on Driscoll’s new look, visit Driscolls.com/SharetheBerryJoy.

1. Driscoll’s high-quality berries take center stage, as open space on the  clamshells show the beauty of the product itself.

2. New labels continue use of traditional green and yellow colors. However, the label’s shape reflects the type of berry in each container.

3. Company name is enlarged in font that mimics handwriting, with a red dot on the “i” that symbolizes their start with strawberries.