BRIEF
On the LANDOR Next Gen programme, we were asked what would we do if Nestlé was our brand. A very open brief I usually struggle with.
We were also given few subquestions to narrow down the brief if we wanted to. I chose this one:
What new or enhanced brand values or initiatives do you believe Nestlé should prioritize to resonate more deeply with Gen Z and younger millenials,
and how could these be authentically integrated across its diverse portfolio?
CREATIVE THINKING
Being part of the target audience was both the challenge and the opportunity.
Gen Z doesn't just distrust Nestlé, many actively avoid it. That level of negative reputation meant any strategy had to go beyond tone of voice or simple campaign.
I focused on child labour in the cocoa supply chain: an issue that had real traction with Gen Z in the past few years,
and one that tied directly to Nestlé's most iconic product category, chocolate. The brief became about how a brand this compromised could earn genuine trust back, and what that would actually take.
After some thorough research, I found some studies claiming that school feeding programmes providing free meals significantly improve student attendance, especially in the cocoa farming areas. This sparked an idea for lunchboxes that would be fun to design and market. Quickly, I realised this is a very first-world concept totally unapplicable in this situation. Nonetheless, the idea of providing free meals through a new product to motivate farmers putting their children to school instead of letting them work stayed.
After some thinking, I came up with the concept of a new brand/product line which would provide a free meal for each product purchased. One bar for one meal. Simple, yet effective. Shifting onto visual research and tone of voice, the most important aspect I needed to achieve was authenticity. With Nestlé‘s bad reputation, I knew that nothing but a full transparency of the whole initiative would be insufficient. Everything had to be documentent, online and trackable. With that in mind, I started exploring other aspects of what I wanted this brand to represent.
Following my visual and tonal moodboard, I commited into a hand-drawn, grittier, yet colourful style and even bought a graphic tablet, hoping to draw something adequate. I was convinced this style would convey my idea the best, so despite my little to no experience in drawing, I went for it. After a lot of challenges, my “From field to school“ idea came to life. Concept, depicting a story of a child who went from working on cocoa fields to attending school and eating the provided free meals.
The next step was building a campaign around the product. Messages I wanted to convey through the copywriting were about convincing the general audience that this initiative is not just another greenwashing attempt, but a new start for Nestlé. Swiftly explaining what the product is about and the impact it has. Acknowledging it‘s just a small step towards fixing the overall issue of child labour in the cocoa production pipeline, but a solid, genuine (re)start.
One Bar is more than just a chocolate bar. It’s the start of a fully transparent, impact-driven initiative designed to rebuild trust and engage socially conscious audiences. Made with 100% traceable cocoa and responsibly packaged, it shows exactly where the cocoa comes from, which communities and schools the meals reach, and the children who benefit from them.
