LAYER UP
Innovation &
Integrated Marketing.
Using a familiar category to build awareness and trial for OAKBERRY, through innovation, visual storytelling and flavor-led brand partnerships.
Explore the case- My role
- Head of Marketing, USA
Project lead
- My scope
- Innovation, creative direction,
social, partnerships & launch
- Brand partners
- KOS
POM Wonderful
01 / The brief
A familiar category.
A new way into
OAKBERRY.
The challenge
Internal research showed that only 5% of U.S. consumers surveyed were aware of OAKBERRY. Our priority was to increase brand awareness and drive trial, giving new customers a reason to discover the brand and experience our signature açaí bowls.
Smoothies offered a familiar way in. We saw an opportunity to use a category American consumers already knew to attract them to OAKBERRY, then introduce them to our core açaí bowl offer. The smoothie platform had a broader role: bringing new consumers into the brand and encouraging discovery across the menu.
But our existing smoothies were difficult to tell apart. Blending açaí into every recipe gave the range the same deep purple appearance, hiding differences in ingredients, flavor and benefits. We needed to make the menu more distinctive and give consumers a compelling reason to try it.
My leadership
I led the project from concept through the U.S. launch. My scope covered innovation, campaign strategy, creative direction, the full social media plan and partnership strategy. This included developing three new recipes and working directly with the director and photographer to guide production. Together with the team and our production partners, we brought the platform to life across product, content and stores.
02 / The strategy
Signature layers.
Six distinct identities.
Product differentiation. We brought the visible layers of our açaí bowls into our smoothies. Three existing recipes were retained and repositioned, while three new recipes completed a lineup of six. Each smoothie had its own color and ingredient story, making the range easier to distinguish while keeping açaí at its core.
Partnership amplification. We gave individual smoothies their own moments in the spotlight through relevant brand collaborations. Each partnership reinforced the ingredient story, created opportunities to reach complementary audiences and gave the range fresh relevance across social media, PR and stores.
The campaign launched as “It’s Time to Layer Up”, connecting the seasonal ritual of layering clothes as colder weather approached with OAKBERRY’s signature way of building its products.
03 / The work
The transformation,
made visible.
The lineup included Very Berry, Tropical Beats, Super Glow, Zen Matcha, Coffee Punch and Blue Fairy. The visible layers made the product itself part of the creative idea, designed to stand out in stores and translate naturally into photography and social video.
04 / The rollout
One platform.
More reasons to try.
I led the U.S. rollout across social media and stores, overseeing photography and video production, developing the content plan and aligning in-store visual merchandising. We extended the campaign through smoothie-specific partnerships, with dedicated content and activations designed to reach new audiences and sustain interest beyond launch.
Flavor-led partnerships
KOS × Blue Fairy
We partnered with KOS around its blue spirulina, connecting the smoothie’s distinctive color with a recognizable ingredient brand. The collaboration extended into a branded store takeover in Venice, Los Angeles, bringing the partnership to life through the retail experience and social content.
Product, partnership & purpose
POM Wonderful × Very POM Berry
We introduced a limited-time version of Very Berry made with POM Wonderful pomegranate juice for National Heart Month in February 2025. The activation included a $1 donation for every POM-based smoothie sold to the Pediatric Congenital Heart Program at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s and the Smidt Heart Institute in Los Angeles. A giveaway and a Valentine’s Day BOGO offer connected product trial, partner visibility and a meaningful cause.
05 / The impact
Distinctive products.
A stronger sales mix.
The smoothie platform grew from 5% to 15% of the sales mix. Layer Up launched in the U.S. and was later adopted across multiple OAKBERRY markets. It established a more distinctive smoothie portfolio and a platform for ongoing product and partnership stories.