Responses by Frédéric Marchand, cofounder, Locomotive and Sonya Bacon, brand strategy, KBS

Background: The purpose is to support the first-ever mass media integrated campaign for Maple From Quebec producers. The goal and objective is to help foodies and principal grocery shoppers increase their consumption of maple products.

Highlights: The introduction of a new brand identity for Maple From Quebec, the ability to browse through hundreds of great recipe ideas developed with maple products, explore maple usage through different spokespeople such as chefs, bakers, brewers, winemakers and caterers and discover the different types of maple products.

Challenges: Getting organized on a tight deadline and getting all the assets ready for the launch. The client had high expectations for its first ever-major initiative and we had to deliver with a short timeline while exceeding expectations. We also had to combine other elements from other sites, so making a new destination without losing traffic and audience was quite a challenge.

Favorite details: The subtle animations and flow of each page, the polished feel of the overall experience, a malleable digital brand system and beautiful, mouth-watering images of the food and their recipes.

Navigational structure: We knew that a social presence was the trigger to get attention, but the website experience is key to engage and drive users to actually do the recipes, hence the philosophy to send an invitation to rediscover the product through an elegant, refined and thoughtful navigation structure. We also made sure that each recipe is a unique destination in itself.

Time constraints: We had to prioritize on the main objectives and evolve with time. Phase one was to support the first integrated campaign while not losing traffic. Phase two was to add more content from our content collaborator and phase three will be launched at the end of summer. We will have a much stronger and bigger platform that will be the worldwide reference when it comes to maple products.

Alternative approach: We could have optimized time and efforts into a single site launch with more flexibility on the timeline. It was important for KBS and the client to support the new brand launch campaign for New Year’s Eve, so we made it happen.