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'Mad Men,' Santa Cruz Style: Mythmaker uses wit and whimsy to promote local foods

08.04.2010 12:57 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) — Quick, name the brands associated with these slogans: «Snap, Crackle, Pop!» «It’s the Real Thing» and «Finger Lickin’ Good.» If you guessed Rice Krispies, Coca-Cola and Kentucky Fried Chicken, then you understand the impact of marketing on American consumers’ food and beverage choices. What you might not know is there’s a nationally known player in the food marketing world based right here in Santa Cruz. But instead of pushing sugary cereals, soda, or fast food, Mythmaker Creative Services creates identities and package design for artisan, organic and natural food and beverage products. If your only knowledge of advertising and marketing comes from the television show «Mad Men,» a visit to Mythmaker’s downtown office will come as a welcome surprise. Instead of ruthless suits clawing their way up the corporate ladder, you’ll find a quartet of quirky, blue jean-clad artists and writers speaking with conviction about «values-based positioning» and companies that operate «from a place of passion and authenticity.» The shelves are lined with products from clients such as Potter Family Organics, a family-owned dairy in Visalia that uses organic, non-confinement farming. There are jars of MaraNatha organic peanut butter featuring colorful characters and catchy slogans «A Whole Nutter Way to Eat!». A vivid box of N’Spired low-calorie snack crackers offers «All Good and No Guilt.» Creative Director Don Faia, Art Director Tom Dill and Editorial Director Anita Bonno’ Bernard clearly relish the whimsy and wordplay that make up their work. They’ve been collaborating since the early 1980s, when they helped develop the Odwalla brand in Half Moon Bay. Odwalla, which is now a subsidiary of the Coca-Cola Company, was a visionary company that ingeniously established its identity as not only a premium juice, but as a socially responsible firm with life-affirming values and a hip, progressive work ethic. The folks at Mythmaker have taken that training to heart, seeking out clients with, as Business Manager David Bernard puts it, «heart, soul, values and vision.» «We see companies as societies,» explained Anita Bernard. «There’s a powerful, human narrative that drives your product.» Finding the story From the very first meeting with a client, the professionals at Mythmaker seek to identify that narrative and communicate it to consumers. Along with questions about ingredients, taste and production, staffers ask, «What is your vision? What drives you to succeed? What core values do you hold? What is your larger purpose?» Only after they identify the personality of the company can they begin to develop an effective creative strategy. That approach paid off for Dan Hoskins of Oakland when he launched a line of watermelon juice called Sundia. Sandia is the Spanish word for watermelon. «Mythmaker is great for a young startup company,» Hoskins said. «They’re really good about helping you to shape your vision. Other firms only want big giant brands with big giant budgets. But Mythmaker nurtured a relationship from the very start.» Part of that vision for Sundia was a strong set of values in terms of fair labor practices and environmentally sensitive production. «We’re very careful about how we source and produce our product,» Hoskins said. «We’re the only carbon-neutral fruit company out there.» Today Sundia refrigerated juice and fruit cups are sold throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. In 2008, Santa Cruz’s Ilene Morrison came to Mythmaker with her fair trade, organic fudge. Three months later her product had a name Swoonbeams, a sales line «Hedonism meets Altruism», and an innovative packaging concept. By Christmas, Swoonbeams began selling into retail grocery stores including Whole Foods. «It was great to find such experienced people locally,» enthused Morrison. «They came up with a beautiful origami packaging idea, a great logo design and name. They really know how to bring something to life.» Of course, in a culture of 24/7 media saturation, consumers are increasingly cynical about marketing. «The idea of sustainable brands and corporate identities with a larger purpose is a new way of thinking for many firms, but it’s not new for us,» David Bernard argued. «We give consumers credit for getting it. It has to come from a place of authenticity.» «If you want to have an authentic brand you have to hire artists and poets, and that’s what Mythmaker is all about,» said Dana Nichols of Davenport. Nichols and her husband wanted to inspire a local, community-based economy around the North Coast agri-artisan culture. They hired Mythmaker to help them design their Slow Coast currency and logo design. «They really know their marketing stuff, but the difference is their creative heart and that is key in the LOHAS Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability world.» Purpose? Heart? Authenticity? What about profits? «Nothing is arbitrary,» Faia assured. «The graphics are specifically designed to communicate key messages about the product and educate the consumer about what they’re picking up.» «Everything has to be aligned to the strategic business plan,» David Bernard added. «There’s always tension between strategy and creative because it has to sell and make money. But the real magic is when we help consumers develop a relationship with passionate, visionary entrepreneurs. Consumers buy the product because they relate to it.» So while television’s «Mad Men» associates scheme and scramble on Madison Avenue, the folks at Mythmaker are happy to take the high road. "We are the antithesis of Mad Men,’ " concludes David Bernard. «We’re the antidote to the cynicism in the market place that has resulted from that type of marketing and advertising. It has to be real or it’s not going to work.»

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