Meet our Friends . . . ZURU Edge
Meet our Friends series is where we take a moment to celebrate and share a little about the diverse studios who make up our DA Friends.
From playing fetch with the office pups to creating disruption in consumer goods categories, here’s what the inhouse creative team at ZURU Edge get up to during their work week.
Where are you based and what shape does the ZURU Edge team take?
Hello! We’re the ZURU Edge Creative team. Predominantly based in Freeman’s Bay, Auckland, we also have talent located around the world, with team members based out of Shenzhen, New York and Sydney.
Working in the field of FMCG, we’re lucky to be able to operate as a full-service, in-house agency—our team comprises of strategists, brand and packaging design specialists, 3D motion designers, content designers, digital and web designers, art directors, traffic managers, stylists, copywriters, illustrators, production specialists and photographers (phew!). We also have our own in-house photography studio and 3D printing capabilities here in Auckland.
Can you share with us what a typical day at ZURU Edge looks like for your design team?
As a multidisciplinary team working across nine ‘live’ brands—ranging from nappies to hair care to vitamins—and another 25+ brands behind the scenes, there is actually no one typical day that fits all! Which we kinda love actually…
Our new product development team might be at various stages of building out multiple new brands and products—for example, they’ll be starting with brand naming and trademarking, forming brand identity and strategies, and developing product design and packaging.
Meanwhile, our content designers might be working on creating concepts and assets for new brand launches or new markets, planning and executing photo shoots, answering marketing briefs or experimenting with new platforms or ideas to generate maximum traction for our brands.
There is definitely a focus on wellbeing and maintaining a good work-life balance, so when we’re not taking a break to play fetch with one of the office pups, ZURU also gives us plenty of opportunities to get out from behind the desk! On offer here are boxing and Pilates classes, social netball and touch rugby, Run Club and an on-site gym and cafe for our requisite caffeine fix. And of course, we do like to socialise and stay up to speed with our colleagues via regular team dinners and away days.
What projects have you been working on recently?
In September, we launched our pet treats brand BONKERS in the UK—it’s super fun, super bold and super pink. You can’t miss it! We’ve had a lot of fun dreaming up the packaging and accompanying campaigns (so many floofs!) and the fact we are launching with the largest retailers across three continents/eight countries within the first six months is pretty incredible.
Our Target US-exclusive brand Millie Moon Luxury Diapers recently expanded their range, and we developed the packaging as well as the overarching campaign to hero the new product while driving overall brand awareness. Literacy development and storytelling is close to our hearts at Millie Moon, so we also produced our second gift-with-purchase storybook ‘Millie Moon’s Day of Kindness’ that was written, illustrated and published in-house by our talented team.
Those are just some of the projects we can talk about, but there’s actually a lot we can’t share… yet! In the background there are still 25+ brands in different stages of development across our five key verticals of Pet Care, Baby Care, Personal Care & Beauty, Home Care and Health & Wellness. Watch this space.
What does the ZURU Edge design process and philosophy look like?
ZURU Edge is all about disruption and reimagining the way products and design can be brought to life. Our sweet spot is looking at consumer goods categories where there is nothing fresh or exciting happening, and delivering something ‘better’ – better design, better performance, better experience, better price.
We do everything in-house at ZURU Edge—from design to manufacturing to marketing—so as designers, we are in a unique position to offer input across every aspect of the process, and can really have a hand in shaping not just the packaging design and physical structures, but the product itself and the way it is presented to market.
In terms of our process and how we work, it is a very collaborative environment. Anyone can bring an idea to the table, no matter where in the business they work, and it will be taken seriously and interrogated in the same way as an idea that came from senior stakeholders. We also like to pull in various people on projects to play to their strengths and their passions, even if it is not in their day-to-day wheelhouse, as it gives everyone the opportunity to work on these big, exciting projects and expand their skill set.
What recent achievements or projects are you most proud of?
There’s honestly too many to list them all, but some of the things that have stood out for us in the last little while:
As one of our first brands out of the gate, MONDAY Haircare has been steadily growing its global footprint, and with each market launch, the team is responsible for creating an eye-catching new launch campaign to drive awareness. You can now find our iconic pink bottles in over 14 countries and over 60 of the world’s top retailers, and we have been featured in prestigious publications such as Vogue, Vanity Fair and Forbes. MONDAY has sold over 12 million bottles to date (that’s 12,000 units sold every single day) and we are also the #1 most liked hair care brand on TikTok. Not bad for a brand that’s only two-and-a-half years old!
Health by Habit, our vitamin supplement brand, launched a spicy new Libido product in the US earlier this year and it went viral. We’re not kidding. The ZURU Edge Creative team was behind the concept and execution of the supporting campaign, and our purple Libido world ended up splashed over billboards in Times Square, as well as popping up in a cute, unexpected way as a profile you could match with on Tinder. Our press kit, again designed by our team, landed in the hands of influential people who sent the product viral on Twitter, with sales going crazy over 24 hours and the product ultimately selling out across the United States.
Where to next for ZURU Edge, what is your team working towards for 2023/2024?
World domination! But seriously, we’re excited to send some of the brands we’ve been developing out into the wild in 2023, and we will be continuing to grow the team to support these as they expand. We’ll also be busy creating more launch campaigns as we head into even more markets and retailers around the world. And it will be full steam ahead for the NPD team, who will continue to develop a whole new slew of pipeline brands which you will start seeing in 2024 and beyond.
Lastly, where can people connect with you on socials?
We’d love to connect with anyone who is interested in what we’re doing! You can keep up with the general goings-on at ZURU by following @lifeatzuru on Instagram or check out our latest job postings and company updates on ZURU Edge | LinkedIn
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Image credits:
Main team photo: Photography: Matt Twyman. Furniture supplied by Kada.
