Koita
Koita
Localising a global plant-based brand across Saudi Arabia and the United States
keeping the brand consistent while giving each market its own reason to care.
Localising a global plant-based brand across Saudi Arabia and the United States keeping the brand consistent while giving each market its own reason to care.
Same brand. Different markets. Different job.
Same brand. Different markets. Different job.
Koita had an established presence in the GCC and two very different opportunities ahead: strengthen relevance in Saudi Arabia and prepare for entry into the crowded US plant-based category.
The answer was not to take one campaign and translate it twice.
Koita had an established presence in the GCC and two very different opportunities ahead: strengthen relevance in Saudi Arabia and prepare for entry into the crowded US plant-based category. The answer was not to take one campaign and translate it twice.
Role - Agency-side Brand Custodian
Year - 2020 - 2022
Scope - Market research & strategy,
Market entry, Brand localisation,
Digital & influencer marketing,
Campaign direction,
Business challenge
Business challenge
Consistency could not mean sameness.
Saudi Arabia and the United States presented different audiences, behaviours and cultural expectations.
Koita needed to feel recognisably like the same brand in both markets without relying on the same message, campaign idea or customer experience. In Saudi Arabia, the opportunity was to build a stronger connection around food, family and shared occasions. In the US, the challenge was different: introduce an unfamiliar brand into an already busy plant-based category and give people a reason to notice it.
Consistency could not mean sameness.
Saudi Arabia and the United States presented different audiences, behaviours and cultural expectations.
Koita needed to feel recognisably like the same brand in both markets without relying on the same message, campaign idea or customer experience.
In Saudi Arabia, the opportunity was to build a stronger connection around food, family and shared occasions. In the US, the challenge was different: introduce an unfamiliar brand into an already busy plant-based category and give people a reason to notice it.
Objective
Objective
Make the brand feel local without making it feel different.
The job was to build two market-specific approaches around one global brand.
Each market needed its own idea, tone and way into the customer’s life, while keeping the core brand recognisable.
Make the brand feel local without making it feel different.
The job was to build two market-specific approaches around one global brand.
Each market needed its own idea, tone and way into the customer’s life, while keeping the core brand recognisable.
What we did
What we did
Start with the market, not the master campaign.
Working agency-side, a 30TEN founder led market strategy, localisation and campaign direction across both regions.
For Saudi Arabia, the work centred on occasions already meaningful to the audience — family gatherings, hospitality, Ramadan and cooking together. Influencer partnerships, recipes and product placements showed how Koita could fit naturally into everyday meals and shared occasions, rather than forcing the product into a generic global campaign.
For the United States, the job was familiarity. A new character, Marco, was developed as a friendly Italian ambassador for the brand. A dedicated social story followed his journey to America, giving Koita a more distinctive way to introduce itself than another product-led launch campaign.
The work covered:
international market-entry thinking;
campaign concepts and messaging;
brand localisation;
influencer strategy;
social and content planning;
character development and storytelling;
digital campaign direction.
Start with the market, not the master campaign.
Working agency-side, a 30TEN founder led market strategy, localisation and campaign direction across both regions.
For Saudi Arabia, the work centred on occasions already meaningful to the audience — family gatherings, hospitality, Ramadan and cooking together. Influencer partnerships, recipes and product placements showed how Koita could fit naturally into everyday meals and shared occasions, rather than forcing the product into a generic global campaign.
For the United States, the job was familiarity. A new character, Marco, was developed as a friendly Italian ambassador for the brand. A dedicated social story followed his journey to America, giving Koita a more distinctive way to introduce itself than another product-led launch campaign.
The work covered:
international market-entry thinking;
campaign concepts and messaging;
brand localisation;
influencer strategy;
social and content planning;
character development and storytelling;
digital campaign direction.
Outcome
Outcome
Two markets. Two approaches. One recognisable brand.
The work gave Koita a locally relevant direction in each market without losing the consistency of the wider brand.
In Saudi Arabia, the brand was placed inside familiar cultural moments and everyday food occasions.
In the US, the launch direction gave an unfamiliar brand a personality and narrative of its own in a crowded category.
The principle was simple:
Do not copy the campaign. Understand the market.
Two markets. Two approaches. One recognisable brand.
The work gave Koita a locally relevant direction in each market without losing the consistency of the wider brand.
In Saudi Arabia, the brand was placed inside familiar cultural moments and everyday food occasions.
In the US, the launch direction gave an unfamiliar brand a personality and narrative of its own in a crowded category.
The principle was simple:
Do not copy the campaign. Understand the market.
Attribution
Attribution
Led agency-side across market strategy, localisation and campaign direction, working with creative, content and influencer teams.
Led agency-side across market strategy, localisation and campaign direction, working with creative, content and influencer teams.
Start a conversation
Start a conversation
Start with the job in front of you.
Tell us what you’re working on, what it needs to achieve and where you need support.
Start with the job in front of you.
Tell us what you’re working on, what it needs to achieve and where you need support.
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