W!LD Ocean Fish

The Challenge

To shake up the market by bringing awareness to the industry for improved methods of sustainable fishing practices.

Owner and marine biologist turned entrepreneur, Zachary Semeniuk’s Vancouver-based line of wild Ocean Wise frozen fish needed the right branding and package design to convey his personal passion for fish freshness, ocean sustainability and fair trade.

Our challenge was to create a name, a brand, packaging, collateral and a website in a very limited timeframe of six months. All of this while ensuring the proper delivery of the brand’s message.

The Brief

Straydog was tasked with spearheading the client’s efforts to create a brand, packaging and messaging that would educate, inspire and help in efforts to support and improving sustainable fishing.

Without a large advertising budget to begin with, it was critical that the name and packaging be unique, be true to the company’s mission and vision while addressing the needs of the retailer.

The Strategy

Straydog set out to differentiate W!ld and it began with a name that would say it all. A name that was understood, that was clear, that would “catch” the attention of shoppers.

From there we decided on how people could relate to the idea of “Fresh, wild, authentic” and we found that people tend to think about buying fresh fish rolled up in a newspaper, so the text background for each unit of W!ld Ocean Fish resembles the newsprint used to wrap fish at a typical west coast fish market. The W!ld logo uses a hand-drawn and scanned in ink-brush font, recalling how fisherman use black markers to scrawl a fish’s type and price across the makeshift wrapping paper.

We then decided to add colour coding for each product, which makes for easy identification and has a great shelf presence.

The back of the package tells a short story about the area the fish is caught and what method of cooking is best for each species. A window on the back also let’s the consumer see a part of the fish contained within. A QR code allows concerned consumers to learn more about the fishermen who caught their fish.

The Process

A thorough and exhaustive Brand Discovery at the outset was paramount in our ability to be able to clearly define the critical elements that would become the Brand’s foundation, and steer us in the creative development of the Name, the Brand, the packaging, the website and all of the Brand’s collateral.

With the Brand clearly defined, we were well equipped and to be able to march through the path of creative development and execution with minimal disruptions and ‘re-work’. Both client and agency were well aware of the objectives and of the road-map to success. This allowed for clear and effective communication and forward progress through each and every step of the multiple projects.

The Results

Initially, the client expected and required a local launch only, but quickly those needs changed. Prior to the product launch, awareness of the brand and its offering quickly spread nationally and into the US. With the success of the frozen fillet line, W!ld recently launched a second line of products, frozen fish burgers.

As a result the W!ld brand is capturing the attention of the media and of consumers throughout North America. Consumers feel like they’ve actually gone to the market and procured a great piece of fish, and we think that’s a big part of W!ld’s Success.