The Work: Goodleaf Better Everyday™
We need to break the stigma attached to cannabis by embracing the benefits this restorative plant offers us, and the power it has to enable our journeys of self betterment, every day. If you come from South Africa, your relationship with cannabis will be synonymous with the word “dagga”. A word that conjures up all manner of negative connotations - lawlessness, laziness, and all the stoner stereotypes you can imagine.
But change is happening. We are quickly embracing the healing capabilities of cannabis and its active ingredient, cannabidiol (CBD), for ailments such as inflammation, stress and anxiety, as well as realising the immense economic potential that legalisation offers, from taxable revenue to job creation, decriminalisation and overall improvement in the lives of people the world over.
So when Marco Simal, the creative force behind Goodleaf, South Africa’s leading cannabis wellness business got in touch, I jumped at the challenge to get involved and help strategically prepare the brand for the next chapter of its story.
Launched in 2018, Goodleaf offers a range of premium CBD products from skincare, to oils, vapes and beverages. The brand entered the market with a beautifully branded range, world class retail stores and a progressive offering for the conservative South African audience.
Having weathered the Covid storm, the business was sitting on some big news - a merger with Highlands Investments that would secure 100% local sourcing and production via a state of the art facility in Lesotho, to create Africa’s largest vertically integrated cannabis business.
Not just a big commercial opportunity, this was a time for the brand to prepare itself for sustainable growth by laying the foundations for its evolution both at home and into international markets.
Our starting point was to identify the fundamental brand purpose behind Goodleaf, the foundation to propel its future growth in both domestic and international markets. This was not just about evolving today, but securing tomorrow by creating a set of tools built from a single minded purpose.
We found our answer at the intersection of four compelling truths:
Firstly, the global pandemic had accelerated our investment into personal well-being, and ways to build better versions of ourselves through acts of care, routine and habit. Health, nutrition, self care, and mindfulness industries have exploded as more people pursue lives where they achieve harmony between body and mind; where they feel balanced and connected to their authentic selves and their emotional well-being.
Secondly, when we feel good, we become better. Better friends, partners, husbands, wives, fathers mothers and people. Even more importantly is the cumulative effect - when we feel good and give it the importance it deserves in our lives, it grows.
But it takes work. Discipline and a life built around healthy, happy habits and routine.
Thirdly, the Goodleaf product range is intentionally wide enough to enable their audience to cultivate emotional well-being in their lives each and every day. Be it luxury skincare to CBD infused sparkling drinks available in over 1,500 stores across the country, the brand is deliberately accessible.
Lastly, the efficacy of CBD products is directly linked to frequency and consistency of use, as the body absorbs and responds to the active ingredients. It’s almost like machine learning.
BETTER EVERYDAY™ was born.
“Better Everyday™ is a motivation and purpose with no definitive end point, only a commitment to make self betterment as routine as brushing ones teeth.”
More than just a statement, an active purpose to be implemented across every aspect of the business; one with no definitive end point, only a commitment to make self betterment as routine as brushing ones teeth and to leave it’s people, audience and world in a better state than they found it.
Over a 4 month period we started to implement our purpose led strategy through the business, providing the tools for the Goodleaf team to execute.
Culture:
We had to start within the business, and Better Everyday™ became the anchor point for the Goodleaf culture code, building internal practices and behaviours linked to Presence, Intent and Passion and a unified desire to improve ourselves, and each other each day by acting this way with authenticity and passion.
Audience Segmentation:
Despite our product range being broad, we needed to better understand who we were talking to - going beyond demographics to better understand their behaviours, motivations, needs and aspirations to ensure we could play a relevant role in their lives each and every day.
Product & Portfolio Strategy:
Marco Simal is a rare breed of creative that is consistently restless, curious and uncompromising in his pursuit of excellence. His passion is palpable, and together with Thomas Pepler and Candice Bondi, has built one of the best design teams in the country, by a country mile.
Knowing that the brands promise ultimately lives and dies with the end product, this team, together with rockstar Product Development Lead Nadia Kapp embarked on an audacious effort to integrate our new found purpose into the Goodleaf product range - by reformulating the entire range in an effort to make it cleaner, more effective and less harmful on the environment.
More than new formulas, this kickstarted a complete overhaul in packaging, naming convention and messaging across the entire range, together with distinct category specific positioning.
The skin care range evolved to “Formulas With Feeling" - a range built around the emotional connection we experience when using them, whilst being Cosmos Organic certified, Vegan, cruelty free and an overall reduction in plastic by 80%. Products that are not just kind to the user, but the environment.
Goodleaf beverages also got a fresh new look. Available in over 1,500 retail outlets across the country, this is the brands most accessible product. But this competitive category needs distinct personality and clarity of its proposition at shelf level to move. “Good Vibes” was the answer - again leading emotionally but bursting with enhanced flavours, increased CBD concentration and moving from plastic to can to further bolster the brands mission to develop packaging that doesn’t cost the earth.
Social, Comms and Partnerships:
While product development has long implementation timelines - we could evolve how we engaged on social immediately.
CBD products face challenges in terms of online promotion, so our community growth and engagement strategy focused on a visual identity update to be more editorially led, and tactics and mechanisms created in partnership with credible lifestyle influencers to authentically spread our voice by informing, enlightening and motivating our audience on their journey of self betterment.
We also focused on building credible and relevant partnerships with people and brands that could become ongoing representatives for the positive lifestyle behaviours we were trying to inspire our audience with. From creating a unique podcast series with Maps Maponyane, to brand collaborations with the likes of Sealand and community initiatives like Women in Bloom, the brand was able to start engaging and building relationships with new communities that shared our values and purpose.
Goodleaf is now fully equipped and set for its most exciting growth period in its history, a proudly South African brand destined for success by enabling more people to live better each and every day, after all:
“A Good Life Begins With A Better You.”
Network Consultants:
Creative: Martin Magner
Strategy: Miché Marquard
Copy: Rosie Goddard
