Scaling a beloved brand, nationally.

As a homegrown, organic startup based in Boulder, people in Colorado have known and loved Justin's nut butter and confections for years. But with the hopes to scale beyond Colorado and niche organic grocers, Justin's tapped Barkley to help Justin's evolve from a hometown hero to a national phenomenon. To expand Justin’s national distribution and velocity beyond the natural category and make Justin’s a leader in spreads, confections, and snacking.

Over the last couple of years, it's no surprise that the landscape has shifted with new consumer behaviors, new entrants into the natural and organic nut butter category, and new brand innovation. We had to prove Justin’s as a must-have for their target audience, Lovin’ Lifers — not just as a product in the pantry but as a positive force within their lives. Consumers increasingly prioritize brands that share their values and infuse more goods into the world. This attitude, combined with general economic unease, placed Justin’s in an interesting spot: as a premium brand, we weren’t about to enter the price race, but we could compete on our values of making the world a better place.

We had to remind Lovin’ Lifers that Justin’s is a must-have not just for its delicious products but also because they’re helping Justin’s have a positive impact every time they buy a jar of almond butter. 

We began by sharing the innovative, joyful, and free-spirited philosophy behind Justin’s, turning it into an invitation to everybody to think – and eat – differently — a philosophy embodied since the beginning of the brand by the founder, Justin himself. 

We evolved Justin’s into a whole brand unified by a strategic red thread that encouraged us all to “Keep Going Nuts” without losing its founder-led roots and charm. This strategic positioning allowed us to unite across Justin’s current product portfolio and with future portfolio growth and innovation in mind. 

The “Live a Little Nutty” campaign entered the hearts and stomachs of the masses in a variety of ways - from CTV and OLV to streaming audio to social and rich media, as well as localized digital partnerships and print placements that really resonated with our Lovin’ Lifers target — and used digital and social to increase awareness of Justin’s products and mission to inspire consideration and purchase to bring the joy and nuttiness of Justin’s to more households.