Cuties
Reimagined for the Next Generation
Imagine transforming a beloved children’s brand to capture the hearts of a new generation — that’s exactly what our 'Digital Marketing Fundamentals' project aimed to achieve with Cuties.
In our 'Digital Marketing Fundamentals' course, each team was tasked with a semester-long project to rebrand a Sunlife Pacific product. We chose Cuties, aiming to refresh its appeal for modern children who prioritize fun and healthy eating habits. At the end of the semester, our group was selected as ‘Best Proposal’ and Sun Pacific will be using our marketing ideas and mockups in their new marketing plan.
My role involved leveraging UX design principles learned in class to create mockups that would enhance Cuties’ visual identity. The challenge was to balance the brand’s nostalgic charm with a fresh, contemporary look that appeals to today’s youth. This would require a comprehensive visual research and analysis project to develop new brand attributes and artifacts.
The Design Process:
Research (Empathize)
Conducted user interviews to understand user experiences.
Evaluated current branding through usability testing.
Design
Identified problem statement and design goals.
Ideate & Prototype
Built prototypes to communicate design concepts.
Solutions
Delivered a final prototype.
The User:
Research:
Our marketing team conducted interviews with current consumers and potential new audiences to understand their perceptions of Cuties and their digital engagement habits. The feedback highlighted a lack of engagement due to the brand’s weaker digital presence compared to competitors.
My Discovery included:
Conducted visual research on competitor brands in the fresh produce market, examining their branding elements such as color palettes, imagery styles, and messaging strategies.
Leveraged client-provided insights and market data to understand consumer preferences and behaviors related to healthy snacks and fresh produce.
Analyzed consumer trends and market shifts accelerated by the pandemic, focusing on increased demand for convenient, healthy snack options.
Conclusion: Sunlife Pacific needs to enhance its digital presence, modernize its brand image, and engage with current consumer trends to effectively compete in the fresh produce market.
Poor SEO Optimization
"When I search for Cuties or Sun Pacific, their website doesn't show up in the first few results."
Unstructured Information
"The information is just thrown around on the page. It's hard to find what I'm looking for."
Low Quality Content
There are gray videos & pixelated imagines on the site that I can't even watch. It feels like the site is broken."
Not Updated
"The media all seems very outdated, they have no active social media so it is hard to find current information.”
Design:
Design Goals
Problem Statement: Sun Pacific’s website needs a comprehensive redesign to enhance user experience, improve SEO, and ensure mobile responsiveness, thereby increasing engagement and conversion rates.
Enhance User Experience
How can we create a user-friendly navigation system that helps visitors find information easily?
Improve SEO
How should we ensure the website content is regularly updated to reflect new products and improve SEO?
Engaging Content
How can we incorporate interactive features to engage users and enhance their experience?
Ideate & Prototype:
Web Design:
Homepage: Include clear product images, key information, and engaging content.
Mobile Optimization: Ensure responsive design with easy navigation on smartphones.
Interactive Features: Add forms, videos, and testimonials to enhance user engagement.
Social Media Strategy:
Platforms: Prioritize Instagram and TikTok for increased visibility and engagement.
Content Calendar: Develop a schedule for consistent posting and varied content.
Campaigns: Create engaging content like DIY videos, recipes, and Q&As with brand executives.
Email Campaigns:
Design Samples: Use appealing color schemes and visuals.
Segmentation: Tailor emails to different audience segments based on their interests and behaviors.
Goal #1: How can we create a user-friendly navigation system that helps visitors find information easily?
Solution: Refine navigation based on user feedback, organizing content for easy access across pages.
Previous Website:
Content is disorganized and low quality
The website was out of date in terms of no hyperlinks, low-quality photos, videos not loading, and pixelated titles.
Wireframe for Website:
Simple navigation
We were told not to create an actual website mockup, so we created wireframes to show our suggestions. We included hyperlinks as well as a clear navigation tab with instructions of how to link other websites to them. We also told them to reduce the amount of bold colors and small fonts so users can easily browse the site.
Goal #2: How should we ensure the website content is updated to reflect new products and improve SEO?
Solution: Set up a content calendar for scheduled updates, with automated feeds for relevant content refreshes.
Previous Color Palette:
Inconsistent and old branding
We were told that Sunlife does not follow any color scheme and uses visuals from 10+ years ago. We needed to revamp the color palette to enhance the site’s visual appeal.
Goal #3: How can we incorporate interactive features to engage users and enhance their experience?
Solution: Integrate social media for engagement on multiple platforms and stay up to date.
Previous Social Media Post:
Outdated graphics
Previous posts from Sunlife have been low in engagement and have been older versions of the brand.
Final Color Palette:
Maintaining brand with an upgrade
The shades of these colors are more pastel and light, giving a more elevated look to these vibrant colors.
The team recommends that Sun Pacific with its @cutiescitrusofficial handle, plan to post on social media at least 3 times a week and post on the account’s “story” feature, daily making Q&A’s, and interacting with the followers. Furthermore, we determined that a content calendar would be useful when leaning on tactics like social media as a key driving vehicle.
Final Social Media Post:
Trendy social media posts
Our posts include our updated color palette and have brighter colors to engage with users more.
Solutions:
Identified weaknesses such as outdated content and lack of SEO optimization. O Improved website navigation, optimized for mobile devices, and enhanced user experience.
Web Design
Utilized A/B testing to optimize content and increase engagement. Proposed a photo contest promotion to boost email sign-ups and engage consumers with interactive marketing initiatives.
E-mail Marketing
Social Media
Created engaging content that highlights product benefits, recipes, and user-generated content to build brand loyalty and differentiate Cuties from competitors. Expanded Instagram and TikTok presence.
Results:
With our enhancement of user engagement and reinforcement of Cuties' position as a leading healthy snack brand, our rebrand was a hit. We developed a cohesive web design, utilized a social media strategy to increase brand awareness, and created email marketing campaigns to optimize content and improve open and click-through rates. Our proposal was selected as “Best Proposal in the Course”, demonstrating the effectiveness and innovation of our digital marketing strategy. Following this success, Sun Pacific will be working with our team to implement our suggestions.
Key Takeaways:
Through this experience, I realized the value of maintaining a consistent and appealing brand image across all digital platforms. This consistency is key to building a strong, recognizable presence.
Consistency in Branding
We made it a point to seek feedback regularly from our professor and the Sunlife representatives. This not only improved the design but also taught me the importance of incorporating diverse perspectives early and often in the project lifecycle.
Feedback Integration
Collaborative Success
Working closely with Sun Pacific was an invaluable experience. It reinforced the importance of collaboration and how a team effort can validate and enhance strategic approaches.
Next Steps:
Continue optimizing SEO and content updates to maintain and further improve online visibility and search engine rankings.
Explore partnerships with modern brands and influencers to expand reach and appeal to the Gen Z demographic.
Develop a comprehensive content calendar for social media platforms to maintain engagement and brand presence.
Launch an effort to create content for TikTok, ensuring a strong presence on this platform to reach younger audiences.
Optimize the Cuties and Sun Pacific websites for mobile use, ensuring a seamless user experience across all devices.
Introduce interactive features such as forms, videos, and transition effects to enhance user engagement on the website.
