Case Study: Sunkist California Mandarins Brand Refresh

An “A-Peel-ing” Challenge

With a new mandarin season on the horizon, Sunkist was eager to roll out a new look for their brand packaging that doesn’t just get families excited but also turns the heads of their on-the-go, choosy moms as they race through their local supermarket.

The Sunkist Mandarins Brand Refresh campaign goals included:

1. Develop a bright, new playful look that brings the brand to life
2. Include an educational, entertaining brand experience to engage families
3. Activate the campaign easily across multiple retailers in time for the season
4. Engage shoppers across the path-to-purchase with visual, interactive elements

When it was time to refresh their brand in time for their biggest shopping season, Sunkist trusted Cliffedge Marketing to design an appealing, educational and interactive brand experience across in-store and digital consumer touchpoints.

A Fresh Squeeze on Shopper Engagement

2022 introduced an unpredictable mandarin growing season that, matched with a quick turnaround and an entirely customized experience, meant Cliffedge Marketing needed to leverage their deep experience as a shopper marketing agency to develop the strategy and the tactics that would solve for Sunkist’s goals.

Our “must-haves” for the Sunkist brand experience refresh:

• A digital brand experience that can serve as a central platform for the campaign and be easily updated as necessary, at scale
• A mobile-friendly experience that makes things easy for on-the-go moms who don’t leave home without their cell phones
• An interactive, educational experience via QR codes on in-store packaging that connect the real world to our virtual one

Cliffedge Marketing’s brand strategy would need to leverage digital marketing and web development services, mobile augmented reality touchpoints and engaging, in-store consumer promotion tactics to bring Sunkist’s brand refresh to life.

Peeling Back the Campaign Results

In order to help this brand experience project keep its sunny disposition, Cliffedge Marketing had to carefully execute a fresh brand strategy across a variety of in-store and virtual activations that would turn this into the ultimate “peel good” love story between consumers and Sunkist. 

How CEM generated shopper engagement across the entire path-to-purchase:

Shopper Hub

• Designed and launched a family-friendly “Peel Good Citrus” microsite to serve as the hub for all things Sunkist California Mandarins
• Create a mobile-first experience that can be activated from packaging and merchandising
• Respect the traditional Sunkist brand identity while introducing a refreshed, youthful version
• Collaborate with the Sunkist team to develop and release a new look inspired by the Sunkist Mandarin groove 

Mobile Games

• Develop a “sticky” digital consumer experience that keeps families coming back all mandarin season with these three exciting Sunkist mobile games:
  • Citrus Climb
  • Mandarin Match
  • Mandarin Jam
• Custom build and design each game to entertain and educate parents & families while also promoting the importance of healthy eating and the benefits of mandarins

AR Photo Filters

• Stay top of mind with three Sunkist branded Augmented Reality photo filters to encourage social sharing via brand-centric hashtags
• Design each filter to encourage engagement and connection among families, enabling parents to talk with their kids about healthy eating habits  

Trackability

• Add trackable reporting capabilities across every element of the campaign (QR scans, mobile games, AR filters, microsite, etc.) that are accessible via a custom campaign dashboard
• Monitor all relevant shopper data including traffic, game play, locations, etc. to improve the Sunkist Mandarins platform over time
• Leverage key data points to inform decisions that will improve the brand experience, games and activities for years to come

Across the entire path-to-purchase, Cliffedge Marketing developed an immersive brand experience that appealed to Sunkist’s target audience and measured every step along the way to better improve future campaigns.

Let the Sun Shine on Your Next Brand Experience

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