Services
Client
Year
Challenge
Supermarket olive shelves are traditionally a sea of sameness minimalist, muted glass jars that emphasise "gourmet" credentials.
This makes the category feel intimidating and stuffy to the average shopper. The challenge was to break these rigid category norms and create an olive brand that felt genuinely friendly, vibrant, and essential for the modern “picnic-obsessed” consumer.
Goal
The objective was to disrupt the category through human-centred design and strategic positivity. This required: Humanising a product that is usually seen as an anonymous commodity. Creating bold visual disruption to demand attention on-shelf. Building a community-driven brand that celebrates shared outdoor experiences.
The impact
The launch successfully shifted the perception of olives from a "polite symbol" to an emotional lifestyle choice:
Unmistakable Shelf Differentiation: The brand achieved immediate standout presence against its minimalist, traditional competitors.
Deep Emotional Resonance: By personifying the product, we created a brand that consumers didn’t just buy, but wanted to interact with and share on social media.
Community-Driven Growth: The campaign fostered an active community centered around the joy of shared moments and the “art of the picnic,” proving that olives don’t need to be snobby to be delicious.
Market Expansion: Friendly Olive successfully invited new, younger audiences to engage with a category they previously found uninspiring.
The approach
Against Ordinary developed a brand identity that turned "slippery orbs" into cheeky characters:
Humanised the Product: We personified each flavour, giving the olives unique identities. Cheeky, playful illustrations were drawn directly onto photographs of the olives, transforming them into “picnic pals” with charm and personality.
Engineered Bold Visual Disruption: We hand-picked vibrant, happy colours that intentionally jarred when paired. This clashing yet complementary palette served as a high-visibility invitation to shoppers who usually overlooked the category.
Adopted a Jolly Tone of Voice: We developed a down to earth, joyful verbal identity that replaced “intimidating premium” with “approachable mate.”
Deployed “Relentless Positivity”: Through digital campaigns and cheeky out of home (OOH) placements, we encouraged people to head outdoors, positioning Friendly Olive as the literal “life of the party.”