Skyrocketing Zespri to the #1 US kiwifruit brand by turning mascots into cultural icons
Premium kiwifruit brand Zespri was struggling with low awareness in the US, competing not just against other fruit brand but the entire snack aisle.
To supercharge growth, we introduced Zespri’s brand mascots, the KiwiBrothers™, to the U.S. with a disruptive, attention-grabbing launch.
To resonate with our pop-culture-loving target, we turned our ads into entertainment. We treated the Zespri KiwiBrothers™ not as mascots, but as characters who embodied our brand purpose, celebrating the benefits of eating more fresh fruit.
To make Zespri kiwifruit more relevant in our target’s everyday life they would become cultural talent.
In our first year, we tapped the irresistible power of music and nostalgia to launch the KiwiBrothers™ as instant pop stars. We premiered our anthem – Kiwis in America – via Spotify and TikTok, supported by CTV, digital and social.
Then in year two, we took inspiration from the American tradition of summer blockbusters to transform the KiwiBrothers™ into action heroes, using a movie promotion playbook.
We prioritized the biggest in-home screens to unleash our own action-packed ‘trailers’, adding social-first assets that played up the personalities of the KiwiBrothers™ on their movie ‘press tour’.
We delivered unprecedented growth, establishing Zespri as a brand with true cultural power and business momentum.
Sales are up 96%, Volume has risen by 79% and household penetration is 43% higher.
Zespri is now the No.1 Kiwi brand in the US, four times the size of its nearest competition.
It’s all thanks to the impressive brand power we’ve built. Since the KiwiBrothers™ launch, Brand Power has surged by 58%.
We have deepened the brand’s emotional connection with consumers and Top-of-Mind Awareness skyrocketed by 200% in the first year alone.
