Mamee's instant noodle SLRP! undergoes 'rebel spirited' brand refresh

Mamee Double Decker Malaysia has rebranded its noodle brand SLRP! and relaunched a bold new identity across packaging, digital content and print communication. Brand design agency Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR) was engaged for the rebranding without a pitch.

According to Katie Ewer, JKR's head of strategy, the instant noodles category has been flooded with South Korean competitors, each offering a spicy flavour profile and K-Wave street credibility. As such, SLRP! was left behind with no differentiating idea or identity.

She told A+M that during the agency's initial analysis phase, it discovered that the Mamee brand had "no distinctive brand assets to begin with".

"Generic food photography and a confusing array of off-the-shelf fonts meant that we had nothing to work with, and no assets to evolve," Ewer said. She explained that JKR then started with a phase of "creative semiotics" to identify visual start points for the brand that could deliver the idea of "rebel spirit".

"The chosen codes around danger and street signs were the territory that we selected to develop a new visual language for SLRP!" Ewer added.

JKR's creative director Alex Boulware said that the product proposition of "deliciously spicy" inspired a brand language that uses the universal codes of danger through the use of bold typography, caution tape motifs and a grungy, rough texture that evokes the vibe of the streets.

“We believed there were more interesting, ownable ways to deliver the idea of ‘deliciously spicy’ than relying on generic product shots. So we created a system that we could own on pack and beyond. From print communications to social content, SLRP! now has an identity that is instantly recognsable," Boulware explained.

Meanwhile, Yuan Yi How, marketing director of Mamee Double Decker, said that the identity system that it has built together with JKR gives it the means to build the brand from the ground up without relying on expensive ATL investment. "With this new work from JKR, we are confident that the brand will be able to reclaim its crown," How said.

A+M has reached out to Mamee for additional information on its marketing strategies following the rebranding.

Read also:
Mamee banks on World Cup fever to encourage higher consumption of snacks
Mamee’s spicy ad campaign (which got canned) gets leaked