The M&S Food x ZOE Gut Shot had great importance for our biggest client. More than just another health drink, M&S Food saw the Gut Shot as a category-defining product, leading its ambition to become a go-to retailer for health needs.

 

We were asked to create a visual identity and in-store comms for the biggest product launch in the history of M&S Food. The brief was clear: our work needed to be bold, confident, and create definitive appeal to  health-conscious customers at a crucial time of year.

 

Taking cues from the Gut Shot’s packaging, we developed a vibrant visual identity that helped customers to understand the product quickly. A simple bottle shape became a micro pattern used throughout our design, accompanied by playful splashes of the drink itself. This was a departure from the typically refined style of M&S Food, but helped to convey the Gut Shot’s fruity, yoghurt-y flavour, and its revitalising effect.

Bombastic copy and powerful messaging created intrigue in-store, leveraging the drink’s benefits and the brilliant partners who designed it: Professor Tim Spector and the nutrition experts at ZOE. Navigational signage snagged the attention of customers and drove customers to the product areas, where POS materials helped to emphasise key messaging. From the store windows to fridge units, customers were consistently met with clear, engaging messages about this innovative new product.

 

Upon launch, the Gut Shot instantly became a huge success story for M&S Food. Early sales surpassed pre-launch forecasts by more than 75%, and in January M&S sold more Gut Shots than Coke and water. Later in the year, our work on the Gut Shot won Gold and Silver trophies at the London Design Awards in the categories for Campaign/Advertising and Promotional Communications Design, and a Bronze award at The Drum Marketing Awards EMEA for Brilliant Use of Design/Brand.

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As product launches go, this one certainly made quite a splash!