Restaurant
Turning an Italian success story into a global brand.We helped Obicà compete on a global stage by adding substance to an already stylish brand.
WE PARTNERED ON
Brand strategy, naming & visual identity, brand book.
Our brief
Obicà is the world’s first Mozzarella Bar. They’d followed huge success in Italy by opening restaurants in many of the world’s greatest cities. But outside of their homeland, people were struggling to understand their offer. So they asked us to guide them through a repositioning and rebrand.
Strategy
We began by immersing ourselves in the brand, visiting key sites across the world and auditing the entire customer experience. We followed this with a day of brand workshops, designed to align a diverse set of stakeholders from all around the world. By getting everyone onto the same page, we had a perfect platform to deliver a new brand positioning and brand idea.
Our research taught us that Obicà’s lack of traditional ‘trattoria’ style cues meant that consumers outside Italy struggled to understand its offer. To become a truly global brand, we argued that Obicà needed to reintroduce some subtle Italian elements, without compromising the contemporary feel that distinguishes it from its competitors. We called this ‘Cosmopolita e Autentico’.
Naming & visual identity
Our first order of business was to change the name, previously ‘Obikà’. Italians don’t use the letter ‘k’, so we swapped it with a ‘c’ for a more authentic feel. Obicà means ‘here it is’ in a Neapolitan dialect.
The visual identity marries a crafted Italian feel with a sophisticated aesthetic. The logo is a hand painted reinterpretation of classic Italian typography, while the supporting system combines a minimalist design language with a pop of ‘pompodoro’ red.
Brand book
We wrote and designed a brand book that summarises every element of the brand in a digestible and engaging way for stakeholders inside and outside the business.
Outcome
The addition of Italian cues delivered an instant uplift in sales all over the world, as people suddenly understood when and how to use Obicà. This reinvigorated the brand and the business, laying the foundation for site openings in London, the USA and Asia.
