Ombar Oat M’lk: eat the change you want to see

Background
Ombar chocolate is beloved by ethical consumers for its taste, sustainability and health credentials. The brand’s mission is to change the way people see chocolate, taking it from cheap, sugary junk food to cacao-rich, sustainable super food.

Using coconut instead of dairy and high content, high quality cacao, Ombar’s predominantly dark flavours are not to everyone’s taste. Spotting an opportunity to reach a wider audience, the team developed a smooth, creamy oat ‘mylk’ bar with half the carbon footprint of regular milk chocolate.

Created to extend Ombar’s reach beyond ‘free from’ to the mainstream fixture, it has a different proposition, different audience and lower price point; it needed its own complementary positioning and identity.

Solution
Overwhelmed and paralysed by the scale of the climate problem, people stick with the status quo. Breaking habits is hard. Most environmental claims tend to be very rational, yet people are deeply irrational by nature. To challenge the status quo, we positioned Oat M’lk as the straight-talking motivator; brimming with positivity and guided by the belief that simple actions – even switching chocolate bars – can make a big impact. Especially when there’s no taste compromise.

Visually, this translates as a bold, vibrant and uplifting type-led design centred metaphorically and literally around the Earth. We borrowed typography and the illustrative style from the master brand world, dialling up the colour cream to aid shelf stand-out and convey Oat M’lk’s creamy texture. In contrast, the generous use of black adds impact. Beyond the colourful optimism, a straight-talking tone of voice and placard-style call-outs deliver thought-provoking facts and encourage direct action.

Results
The result: Oat M’lk is Ombar’s disruptive cousin. It demands attention on-shelf, then happily persuades people to ‘eat the change they want to see’ one smooth and creamy Oat M’lk bar at a time. The range has had an incredible start. In the first three months of launch (versus three months prior), it added significant incremental sales to Ombar, bringing new consumers to both the brand and category. You can now find it at Wholefoods, Planet Organic, Booths, Ocado, WHSmiths, Milk & More and Morrisons.