Milk’s philosophy is more than just words – it’s imbued in every part of their process. Working with brands across a variety of sectors on both local and Australian shores, the Trans-Tasman design agency’s approach is all about uncovering what makes a business truly unique – and then supercharging it to create a future-focused brand.
After two decades in the industry (plus the added years and wisdom of their diverse team), their observation is clear: brands that set themselves up for transformative growth are those that take time to define and amplify their unique value.
Ben Reid, Managing Director of Milk, explains: “There’s something powerful about rooting your business in what makes it not only special but irreplaceable for the market. When you know what that is, and align your business and brand strategy around it, you unlock a pathway to growth.
“That’s why we’ve spent years shaping our process around this philosophy. Whether it’s a packaging refresh, an updated design system, a full rebrand or effective communications, we always strive to tap into each brand’s unique value.”
The importance of uncovering this unique value
What makes a truly unique business stand out? According to British strategist Alex Smith: “It’s the thing people want but can’t get anywhere else.”
For the last several years, businesses and their customers have been grappling with the challenges of a tough socio-economic environment. But as the recessionary mindset begins to shift, people are looking towards a future full of opportunity.
That’s why unlocking and amplifying a business’ unique value is more important than ever – it can break through the barriers that stunt growth.
The good news is that many businesses already possess an inherent value that sets them apart. However, few can clearly articulate it – and even fewer know how to optimise it across everything they do. This is where Milk steps in.
How Milk uncovers this
Sarah Melrose, Executive Creative Director at Milk, says: “Our strategic brand and design work isn’t about making surface-level changes. It’s about going deep to uncover and define what makes a brand truly different in a way that resonates with customers and guides every aspect of the business.
“Defining this value creates the foundation for our strategy, which allows the real work to begin: activating that value.”
From strategy to design to communications – an all-rounded approach
For Milk, everything begins with uncovering a brand’s unique value through business strategy. Once identified, this is translated into an internal brand strategy platform that inspires and guides teams toward brand-aligned behaviours. The creative strategy follows, shaping the external brand expression through a brand idea, storytelling and character. The final step is bringing the strategy to life with a visual identity system that aligns with the brand’s foundation, ensuring consistency across all assets. The crafted brand is then introduced to the market, resonating with audiences via packaging, internal culture alignment, or broader campaigns.
Three brand transformations
Milk has helped hundreds of diverse businesses to unlock their unique value. Here are three of them.
BLUNT Umbrellas
Although BLUNT had strong market penetration in New Zealand, Milk was brought on board to elevate the brand’s awareness and adoption overseas. Using in-depth research, Milk uncovered a key insight: every BLUNT owner expressed: “I love my BLUNT.”
Customers showed a deep emotional connection: owning a BLUNT went beyond functionality. It was a sensory experience encompassing the sound, the looked and most importantly, how it made them feel.
These insights shaped the brand strategy, leading to the articulation of the brand idea: “Engineering Joy.” This concept captured BLUNT’s strengths in design and engineering while reflecting the joy it delivered to consumers.
Milk brought this vision to life by designing a new wordmark, developing a custom typeface, producing
3D renderings and refreshing the sustainable packaging. These elements communicated BLUNT’s unique value to a global audience, positioning the brand for success beyond its local market.
Resolv
Milk worked with Sims Consumer Brands to launch Resolv: small, concentrated, soluble cleaning pods that also address environmental issues. Milk knew introducing a new format was no easy task, especially with competitors on the rise.
Through strategy, Milk created a brand idea centred on fighting the common enemy: dirty. Dirty design, dirty behaviours, dirty actions. With single-use plastic waste everywhere, Resolv’s unique value was clear: disrupting the home cleaning category’s heavy carbon footprint.
Milk developed a design system that educated consumers on what Resolv was and how to use it. Their reusable bottles were lightweight, beautiful and functional, while the pod packaging featured a bottle drawing to communicate its purpose.
Resolv helps consumers avoid up to 95% of plastic waste compared to standard products and is now in 700 stores across major Kiwi and Australian retailers.
So Good
A pioneer in plant-based products, So Good needed to stay relevant in a fast-moving, values-driven category. Milk’s challenge was to evolve the packaging while retaining customer loyalty.
Working with Sanitarium, Milk unpacked the core brand idea, “Joy of the Moment,” recapturing a fresh, tasty and exciting feeling. This opened up new dimensions, creating a fresh take on the familiar.
With this strategy in place, Milk redesigned the So Good logo, created a custom typeface, and implemented a new design system across 23 packaging variants successfully launched across Australia and New Zealand.
Anthony Hos, Creative Director at Milk, says: “It was a privilege to collaborate with Sanitarium to transform one of their core brands and a market leader. Guiding the brand through our process – from research and strategy to identity system and packaging – positioned it for the next generation.”
If you’re interested in a transformative brand process, get in touch at milk.co.nz.
This was first published in the 2024 December-January NZ Marketing Magazine issue. Subscribe here.
