Robot Food – Wagg

Strategic brand design agency Robot Food have rebranded Wagg, bringing playful clarity to the pet food aisle.

Wagg’s no frills, locally sourced, pet food was facing stiff competition from supermarket own-label. The IPN brand needed a fresh start and turned to Leeds based Robot Food to rethink, reposition and rebrand their range of complete food and treats.

Lucy Stones, Brand Marketing Manager at IPN said “We are the savvy choice in a category polarised by old fashioned design and overly worthy premium brands. We looked to Robot Food to not only change perceptions through design but also bring some coherence to our wide offering.”

Zoe Harper, Brand Strategist at Robot Food explains, “Research revealed dog owners were being made to feel guilty about what they fed their dogs, especially if they weren’t buying the most expensive products. Not only this, customers were faced with a confusing dog food aisle that lacked structure or direction.”

It was time to shake off the old, get playful with the rules and amplify Wagg’s offering to create something ownable. Martin Widdowfield Creative Director at Robot Food said, “The name Wagg was the perfect starting point and begged for a new brand mark with all the personality of our furry friends. It also inspired a completely ownable photography style for the brand, stepping away from the repetitive and cliquish dog images typically seen across the category. We chose a broad selection of tails to celebrate all dogs, from man’s best friend sat on the sofa to the best in show.”

Widdowfield continued, “We looked at the entire range with a strategic eye and put a lot of consideration into how we segment such a broad range clearly – part of which was choosing to drop Wagg’s premium SKU to strengthen Wagg’s ‘quality at an affordable price’ positioning. It was about blending big personality with functionality.”

Such a recognisable mark and photography style meant that the team were free to use colour to aid the shopping experience. The colour palette chosen reflects the lifestyle of the modern customer; bright, friendly and accessible without being unnatural.

“The rebrand has bags of confidence, we are so proud of it and we’re sure our customers will feel the same.” Lucy Stones, Brand Marketing Manager at IPN. Be sure to check out the fully rebranded range of pet food and treats, bringing some much-needed realness to the pet food aisle.