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March 4, 2020
Process

Defining a brand's strategy for a sustainable lifestyle App

Addressing the right situation.

Finding solutions to today's problems is part of a designer's job. I'm a firm believer that great change will come from building great brands. Building a brand, however, requires far more than just a logo. It needs to stand for something people can relate to, talk about, and live around. With the world's challenges, we need to reshape the way we interact with our audience. Everybody has a say, and everybody can shout straight into our feeds, but not all are listened to. In this series, I'll uncover my process behind defining your strategy and identity, from conceptualization to realization.

A mission to guide us.

As any good business, you're on the market to solve a specific need. Defining a mission is an essential part, as it will dictate our every decision.

"Coming from the conclusion that we can't possibly rely on meat-based diets when we're close to eight billion humans, we need to find alternatives. But change is hard, we get it. You lived your whole life eating steak without question. Yet, you're ready now. And we're here to help."
GreenPin mission statement

We're here to serve. So, our product needs to reflect our deep care for our users. What can we get from this? We need to be accessible, understandable, educative, and empowering. We're here to transform anyone's life by giving them the tools to sustain it. Here's the cool part: we get to protect the planet while doing so. 😎

Identifying who needs us.

Next up, we create personas, people we believe will resonate with what we're offering, and most likely use our services. This part ensure we're taking the right tone to address them, meaning our message will be heard.

Persona 1: Jake

Image of a young male smiling and wearing a buzzcut, a jean jacket, and white tee shirt.
"As someone who wishes to start a meat-free diet, I struggle with finding products to replace meat, as well as idea for recipes. I would like a platform to find new places where I can do my groceries as well as recipes ideas."
  • 26 years old
  • Junior Data Analyst
  • Lives in London, UK
  • £25,000 per year
  • Low-Average cooking skills

Persona 2: Megan

Picture of a 30 year-old women smiling and wearing a brown crew-neck
"I'm a vegetarian, but I would like to find and compare prices & products from various places to shop smarter. I would also like to find places that sell sustainable everyday-life products but don't know where to go."
  • 30 years old
  • Marketing Manager
  • In San Francisco, USA
  • $80,000 per year
  • Average cooking skills

Persona 3: Charlie

"As I started my family, I wanted to educate my kids in a sustainable way, so they don’t have to go through the same struggle as I do. However, it’s been challenging to find recipes that match everyone’s taste."
  • 35 years old
  • Senior Art. Director
  • In Berlin
  • 55,000€ per year
  • Good cooking skills

Key takeaway

  • Our solution needs to be for every budget - find partnerships that match those requirements; the app could be freemium but should remain 90% free.
  • Customization is mandatory - Some will want recipes first, while others would want to see seasonal products
  • We need to find clever ways to increase brand's loyalty - those personas could all react to one incentive, if targeted right
  • Ease of use and delight are a must - they can't be spending 30 min. to figure out the app

Finding our voice

In this case, we need to have clarity in our messaging, with an epic twist and a splash of fun. Here is what it resembles:

"Yes, unicorns do exist.

A daily assistant to find local grocery shops, green food, and the recipes to cook them, entirely tailored to your needs and tastes. Don’t like or can’t eat an ingredient? Tell us so, and we’ll never show it in your daily suggestions.

The end of cries at dinner."

To go further, here's how we could advise our friends at GreenPin: Be helpful, genuine, teach, help individuals grow within themselves through personal empowerment. Be aware of everyone's challenges as well as our shared ones. Create a community around the will to live better.

Thanks for reading

Next article will cover how we combine strategy and design. Here's a little teaser

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