A Double Scoop Of Subversion
How Snooz proves taking a 180° approach is a sure-fire way to stand out
Some things belong to summer.
Package holidays, dodgy tan lines, hayfever, red-hot steering wheels…
But perhaps nothing is quite as synonymous with the season as that familiar jingle blaring round the corner. An abrupt interruption to the afternoon, signalling children to vacate their paddling pools, raid their parent’s pockets and get in line for a four-quid 99.
You scream. They scream. We all scream for ice cream.
So what happens when a brand goes after this most sanctimonious of summer staples? Is it even possible to shake off the sunsoaked associations? To shake up an unshakable category?
Well, just ask Snooz.
VANILLA JUST GOT CHILLA
Snooz is 100% ice cream. You can scoop it, spoon it, and stick it in a cone. It’s still delicious, available in salted caramel, and will melt if you leave it out.
And that’s where the similarities end.
Because unlike conventional ice cream, Snooz wasn’t made to cool you down. Replacing the eye-opening emulsifiers and e-numbers which line supermarket freezers with a sleep-friendly mix of camomile, theanine, magnesium and lemon balm, it is the sweet that helps you sleep.
Now crave the cold stuff, and your mind usually jumps to bunting, summery seascapes and the odd cow or two. But when you’re dealing with an ice cream made for nodding off, you can’t go rolling out the gingham carpet. You’ve got to rip it up.
The result is an identity that says night and night-night all in one.
The logo—featuring two eclipsed moons—has a pillow-like quality you want to squish your face into. The graphic language is animated with zero gravity, helping you drift off into starry skies. Photography is as cool as the contents of a tub, rebelling against over-saturated, outdoor imagery, with over-exposed, flash-on photos. And the voice has a spoon-in-cheek, NSFK (not suitable for kids) tone that works better snuggled on the sofa, than shared over the dinner table.
It is the polar opposite of what you’d expect from Britain’s favourite dessert. And it’s not alone in proving subversion can help you stand out on the shelf.
SUPERVERSION SWEEP
Sticking in the grocery store, two aisles across, our work for vegan candy brand WildThingz also took a different tact.
Wedged on the shelf between hemp-coloured, tasteless saints and a saturated rainbow of sinners, the question was obvious: why do the bad guys get to have all the fun?
Our answer was a brand identity that was punk, not junk. Rooted in the unapologetic side of nature, it features a logo made out of thorns, a mohawked mascot, heavy metal typefaces and dark, brooding colors. Hell, we even created a 3D world complete with overgrown forests, rusty shopping trolleys and abandoned buildings. More real than the synthetics, more appealing than the sugar-less.
Two shelves up, and coming at it the other way round: Tony’s Chocolonely. While chocolate used to be a light, frivolous indulgence, Tony’s has made it a serious business. From a name which highlights the ‘lonely’ journey to change, to red packaging that demands attention for a serious issue and a purposefully hard-to-break bar that reflects the struggles of cocoa farmers.
The social and commercial impact is staggering. Tony shifted over 13 million kilograms of chocolate in 2024, awareness in Britain is over 82%, revenues are up 85% in the US, and the company is now working directly with nearly 18,000 cocoa farmers—who in turn are getting paid better and improving their living income prospects.
It doesn’t hurt that it tastes f*cking great too.
A FREAK IN THE STREET.
CONFIDENCE IN THE SHEETS.
Speaking of f*cking, next up’s the cosmetics aisle, and particularly SEXBRAND.
For a long time, we've been prescribed the idea sex sells. But the latest numbers suggest things are drying up. Gen Z (36 times a year) are doing it far less than the far steamier Millennials (73 times) and Gen X(XX) (62 times), and changing attitudes, digital substitutes, financial stress and social expectation are only adding to the pressure.
Given the climate, contraception brands could be understood for playing it more coyly, or talking about the bigger conversation. But SEXBRAND doesn’t fancy that. Instead, it promotes all the joy of getting it on, and the reduced anxiety, boosted confidence and increased fitness that comes with it. With its bright orange, devilish mascots, all caps, balls-on–the-wall tone it’s the exact opposite of a sex education class. Staying out of the way so people can enjoy getting it on.
Which brings us nicely to our climax.
Wildly different categories, really different brands, but the same successful patterns. Whether it’s ice cream that knocks you out cold or condoms that get you hot under the collar, subversion isn’t about being different for the sake of it. It’s about finding one thing no one’s willing to challenge, then unashamedly challenging it. And the more a business can stand for that, the more they can stand out… even on the most familiar supermarket shelves.
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