Ibérico Ham from Spain

Ibérico Ham from Spain, brand identity

To increase awareness and sales in the U.S. market of the super-premium Ibérico ham from Spain, a consortium of top producers with the help of the Commercial Office of Spain and the European Union Development Fund launched a branding and marketing campaign. JRDG was selected to design the brand logo and identity, website and marketing materials.

In the U.S. the cured ham category is dominated and defined by “prosciutto” (Italian term for cured ham). In the eyes of the American consumer cured ham has become synonymous with “prosciutto”, they expect a certain price range and an Italian brand name attached to it. Our challenge was to strategically brand the Ibérico ham as a super-premium product to justify a price that is at least five times more expensive than the average “prosciutto” and create the marketing materials to support it.

Strategic approach: Turning the challenge into the solution

Ibérico ham main marketing challenge is how to justify the Ibérico high price tag. The solution, position it like a luxury product, stay away from the expected ham brand look and attach the “from Spain” statement of origin to all logo iterations. Design a logo that conveys a luxury goods brand personality and consistently hammer the luxury brand positioning on every Ibérico ham brand touch point: advertising, merchandising, point of sale, press release, event and interactive communications.

There is an enormous market opportunity in the U.S. for super-premium gourmet foods. Making the sigularity of the Ibérico brand understood will encourage trial and help pave the way for a steady market share and sales growth.