We formulated a new direction for leading probiotic brand Symprove

ClientSymprove
scopeBrand Strategy \ Visual Identity \ UX/UI Design \ Ecommerce

54%

Increase in sales

44%

Increase in website revenue

How "inside out thinking" opened a whole new market

Symprove already had a passionate following from IBS sufferers in place, but Pull asked the question: With growing interest in gut health and the microbiome, couldn’t we also take Symprove to a wider audience?

After running research that validated our hypothesis, Pull developed a new brand strategy by defining new purpose, new target personas and a more upbeat brand personality. This was deployed via a new look, copy, tone of voice and website.

Who are symprove?

Symprove is the brainchild of former farmer Barry Smith. Like all visionaries, Barry saw things differently. Concerned for the welfare of his livestock back in the eighties, he rejected the feedstuffs offered at the time believing his animals would fare better on germinated grains. Stunned by the difference in health that occurred and spurred on by two eminent vets, he stopped farming and turned his attention to refining the technology to develop a unique water-based probiotic for humans.

Since launch, Symprove had developed a very loyal following from those with gut health issues. However despite being proven by medical studies at Kings College Hospital to out-perform all its competitors in delivering more thriving bacteria to the gut, like all supplement producers, the claims that Symprove can make are tightly restricted by the Food Standards Agency. How should a brand like Symprove communicate with its target audiences?

Bronze coloured shampoo bottles on display

WIDENING THE PROPOSITION

Research Pull had conducted for Symprove showed growing interest in wellbeing. So we did further research to assess the intentions of a group of people identified as interested in gut health but not suffering from a gut condition. Presented with a test proposition for Symprove, the response was a very high intent to purchase.

From these findings, we were able to derive a set of three key target personas – the wellness seeker, the gut-condition sufferer and the health care professional - bringing in Pull’s Brand & UX teams and leading further focus groups to identify their needs, attitudes and shopping behaviours.

Isometric shot of brochures on table, featuring blonde women portraits

brand blueprint®

Pull then facilitated workshops with the Symprove management and marketing team to turn our findings into a new brand strategy. The outcome was Symprove’s Brand Blueprint®. This clarified Symprove’s vision and purpose, and defined the new positioning and updated tone of voice.

New copy and tone of voice were developed that would appeal to the wellness seeker as well as the gut-condition sufferer, balancing an empathetic tone of voice with also speaking in a positive, upbeat way to anyone who simply wanted to do the best for their gut.

We captured the spirit of founder Barry Smith’s visionary philosophy with the ‘big idea’ of ‘Inside out thinking’. Symprove believe that living your best, feeling your best and looking your best starts from within. Living well means eating well, taking some exercise, and also enjoying good gut health. Research shows that these three things are inter-linked, and all have a massive impact on our wellbeing. ‘Inside out thinking’ captures that philosophy perfectly and is now used as the sign-off on most communications.

The new copy and messaging was then deployed across all channels, new copy written for their new website, and a social media strategy designed to leverage #InsideOutThinking was launched on Instagram.

CREATING AN IDENTITY

The next challenge was addressing their visual identity. How could we bring these ideas to life across all their touchpoints, from the website through to packaging? We began by first crafting a new logo. Symprove differs from other probiotics because its water-based. This means it doesn’t trigger digestion, allowing more bacteria to arrive, survive and thrive in the gut. Pull developed a creative device which communicates this and explains how Symprove works, incorporating this into the new brand marque.

Because of the strict regulations that apply to supplements, the new visual identity needed to communicate all the things that Symprove couldn’t say. It also needed to be flexible enough to meet the needs of all three audience persona groups – fresh, alive and attractive for the wellness seeker, optimistic for those suffering with a gut-condition sufferer and yet still rooted in science for the health care professional.

The new visual identity was rolled out across all touchpoints, from packaging, stationery and event collateral, through to social media and the new website.

THE RESULTS

Following the launch of the new website, website revenue increased by 44% year on year, helping drive a 54% increase in sales. Effectively communicating Symprove’s new positioning on the website has also seen bounce rates drop by 12% year on year.

The response to the new visual identity has been overwhelmingly positive, with the new packaging very well received.

In addition, the new positioning built on Symprove’s already strong social media following, growing their audience by 68% year on year. The new tone of voice and #InsideOutThinking had strong resonance on social, with engagement rates up 60% YoY as users responded well to the new content and wellness positioning.

“Pull dealt with our regulatory challenges effectively and produced a fantastic new brand direction and visual identity which has proved to increase symprove.com website engagement, increase conversion rates & been a great hit with our end users!”

Cathy Erwin, Head of Marketing, Symprove