In 2017, nut experts John B. Sanfilippo & Son acquired the iconic nut brand Squirrel — a company that poured its foundation in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1888. Focusing on delivering premium products, the Squirrel brand has become one of America’s most famous and much-appreciated nut brands. Over time, the brand’s exquisite nuts have traveled from Antarctica to Hollywood and legend has it that they even made it to the stars. Indeed, the brand pampers its fans with a global (or even stellar) sensory experience.
However, given the pandemic context and the challenging business conditions that arose because of it, Squirrel’s owners, John B. Sanfilippo & Son, reached out to global brand design agency Straight Forward Design, assigning the creative team the task of reinventing the nut brand, giving it a reason to exist in a crowded marketplace and in its wider portfolio of brands.
Reimagining a brand with such a rich past was probably not an easy task for the London-based agency, as the team had to tailor a new dress for the brand that reflects its history, yet one that doesn’t feel outdated. Simultaneously, the new “outfit” had to appeal to Gen Next and food-obsessed, to champion Squirrel’s flavors, ingredients, and the manufacturing ways, and had to be gift-worthy. On top of that, the new positioning had to reinforce the brand’s sustainability messages and actions.
To put it in a nutshell, the agency had to develop a brand identity that is relevant to this day and age and in the future as well, without jeopardizing the company’s history. The team had to find a way to allow its history to manifest within the new look, communicating its rich past to the audience in a non-aggressive way.
As such, Straight Forward Design started by putting the nut back in the spotlight, reimagining some of the old visual elements of the brand and updating them for a modern public. The team also updated the squirrel character, giving it a new name: Zip — which gets its name after the famous Squirrel product Nut Zippers — finds itself always on the run after the best ingredients. Adventurous by nature, Zip can’t sit still not even on the packaging, the cute furry animal being spotted on constant move, never in the same place twice.
Every detail of the packaging design is carefully created so that consumers can feel the whole Squirrel experience from soup to nuts. Right from the shelf and up to the eating stage, the tasty journey is a premium one, during which the public can enjoy the brand’s origin story, the nuts and the ingredients, and even discover a map to guide them through the full brand experience.
John Goetter, Vice President Marketing, John B Sanfilippo & Son, said: “Working in partnership with Straight Forward Design, we have developed a new brand that nods to Squirrel’s incredible history while ensuring it has real appeal for a modern audience seeking high-quality specialty foods for themselves or as a gift. Straight Forward have breathed new life into Squirrel, considering how the brand should behave at all levels, from a marketing perspective through to sustainability and beyond.”
Mike Foster, Founder and Creative Director, Straight Forward Design, added: “It’s been a delight to work on reinventing a brand with such a rich heritage and back story, which we’ve been able to draw on in order to create something that feels authentic and true to Squirrel’s roots. Our approach to the brief is embodied by our new brand character Zip, scurrying from Squirrel’s past into an exciting, animated future.”
Go on, discover the Squirrel brand below, one Zip adventure at a time.
