La Viuda Food Company turned to Spitball to relaunch a Mexican hot sauce brand in the crowded US marketplace, while proudly staying true to its roots - a refreshing approach we rallied our tastebuds around.
Hot sauce has long been an annoyingly macho category, speaking to show-off heat seekers and wannabe Iron Chef dads. We proudly exude an authentic feminine perspective, inspired by the woman who founded and own the brand, as well as the women who lead our creative and communications. We embraced the power of speaking genuinely to a specific audience rather than trying to identify with everyone, and in turn, connecting with no one.
Spitball created a striking and unique brand look that is elevated beyond anything in the category, balancing bold sensual colors with elegant artful design that pays tribute to the De La Viuda Hot Sauce bottle trade dress. Beyond the stunning visuals, "The Art of Spice" speaks to the craftsmanship of the recipe, and how when the right medley of ingredients crafts a symphony that encourages consumers to create their own works of art. The centerpiece of the campaign is a commercial spot that celebrates a variety of wondrous worlds where each, empty plate is a blank canvas that is waiting for the next De La Viuda Hot Sauce masterpiece.
At launch, De La Viuda Hot Sauce looked to drive direct-to-consumer sales through Amazon and its own Shopify website. However, to stay true to the brand ethos, Spitball built an immersive experience that brought the watercolor artistry to life, introduced consumers to the inspiring origin story of "The Widow," and helped drive engagement and sales rather than simply delivering a basic storefront.
Curating content is as important as cultivating peppers and spices. De La Viuda Hot Sauce's social presence needed to embody the brand tenants while tapping into a passionate audience culture and lifestyle. Through a mix of gritty brand created posts and female influencer content, we delivered an authentic bouquet of content that is both topical and meaningful for consumers.
We created a brand that is just too pretty not to share...so we did! Spitball carefully crafted additional branded assets for a successful PR launch kit campaign, invigorated the sales team and most importantly, developed consumer merchandise to further perpetuate brand presence and adoption.
