Panacea Life Sciences
Pana Rebrand
From “will this get me high?” to “aren’t over-the-counter pills more effective?”, CBD is a category shrouded in questions, stigma, and promises. Between pervasive product and usage uncertainty within the category, and a myriad of unfamiliar brand names and claims, Panacea Life Sciences needed to distinguish themselves as a legitimate CBD wellness product that people could trust.
OUR ROLE
- Brand Strategy
- Brand Naming & Identity
- Creative Strategy
- Packaging & Label Design
- Branded Sales Templates
- Social Media Marketing
THE STRATEGY
We met with the Panacea Life Sciences team (pre-pandemic) for a Brand Accelerator workshop to unpack their company culture and ambitions. We discovered that three main equities are the master-DNA of their brand: Nature, Nurture, and Science. We also learned that they maintain "seed to sale" integration, growing their own hemp, to ensure maximum integrity and efficacy of all products. Recognizing the need for a trustworthy brand in the CBD category, it was time for Panacea Life Sciences to take a leadership role through elevated brand equities and premium quality products.
We created a new corporate identity for the brand with a simplified, elegant name and logo -- "Pana." This would inform wellness seekers that a new, approachable CBD brand had entered the market on a mission to Cultivate Everyday Wellness. We set Pana into motion with the campaign “[They’re] Not High”, challenging the cultural stereotype that people beaming with delight from hemp-based wellness products are high on pot. Using an educated, unpretentious voice, we conveyed that the delight of Pana products comes from their holistic, healing effects — not THC.
THE IMPACT
Created and implemented a brand strategy for the organization to root all materials in. The strategy and messaging hierarchy allowed for a unified approach to all internal and external conversations and physical materials. Includes sales presentations, social media, advertisements, and retail displays.
Designed new labels and naming convention across entire product set, including secondary packaging. This set the organization up for visual continuity when new products are periodically released. Three large retail deals were completed in 2020, each partner noting that the new branding is sure to encourage sell-through in a crowded category.
Since August 2020, the engagement rate across all social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) rose 56%.
"The new Pana label and packaging design not only gave purposeful meaning to our company and products, but it also helped us communicate our mission to the public. When retailers mention how much they like our designs and appreciate the effort to differentiate ourselves, it feels good because all of that is a reflection of the passion we have for what we do. We are different — and we’re proud of that. It’s evident in everything from our seed-to-sale model to our quality testing, and these distinctive graphics have elevated our brand and company even further.” - Nick Cavarra, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Panacea Life Sciences