Brookside Foods, a category leader in the world of chocolate decided to rejuvenate their flagship brand of packaged deliciousness. To help smooth the transition online, Brookside contacted Action Adventure Squad for a decadent design overhaul of their outdated web presence.

(It should be noted that Brookside, despite all their success, has virtually zero advertising. Its business relies on word-of-mouth and its dedicated fanbase of loyal customers who recognize their favourite chocolate primarily by their iconic packaging. These familiar beige stand-up bags are highly recognizable in any major store across Canada and even in the U.S.)

An interesting design project always has a catch…

The shot-callers at Brookside headquarters decided to pull a huge switcheroo on their fans and completely change their packaging to something completely different. And it was our job to explain the transition.

This presented the Squad with a unique design challenge: Navigate the transition to a whole new identity for the entire brand without alienating a loyal base of consumers. No longer was this a simple web design project, but an entire brand strategy and user experience project.

We immediately acknowledged the iconic stand-up bag itself as their single biggest brand asset (aside from the delicious treats found inside). To capitalize on this, we designed every product page to look as close to the actual bags themselves as possible (including ingredient info tables and romance copy). The only interface customers had with the brand was through the bag itself. Our design goal was to subtly break down the barrier between web and actual real-world interaction by engaging the tangible, visceral brand experience of enjoying chocolate.

Sharing is caring

Chocolate customers view their favourite vice as a highly social product (as well as an individual guilty pleasure). Based on user-centered research, a new brand line was conceptualized: "A whole new look worth sharing". Expanding on the 'sharing' theme, the site provides an opportunity for customers to write their own testimonials online for a chance to win a gift pack. Simple, but effective as Brookside has a very vocal fanbase with hundreds of emails and letters coming in all the time. Giving the outpour of praise an online outlet was a perfect solution.

The new website was also a great opportunity to finally engage the customer directly. The copy was carefully written by the Squad to friendlily re-introduce Brookside to not only its fans, but strangers to the brand. Beyond simply listing and describing products, we wanted to communicate the down-to-earth personality and values of the company itself.

Introducing a whole new look to shake up their line was a risky, bold move that required effective communication to avoid sending customers into a chocolate-withdrawal induced frenzied panic. Action Adventure Squad was happy to conquer this design problem and look forward to more mouth-watering projects with Brookside in the near future.