Monthly Case Study spotlight: Mallow & Marsh

How we repositioned a much-loved challenger treat as a champion of slow indulgence, embracing its chocolatey side and owning its iconic pink.

The brand behind the mallows

Mallow & Marsh is a popular UK-based confectionery brand with widespread distribution and a loyal fanbase, having recently been acquired by Serious Sweet Company. Therefore, 2023 was a key time to evolve the brand’s positioning beyond their start-up roots and embrace their full foodie credentials as the indulgent treat consumers already know and love.

What we did

We wanted to give the brand a distinct personality that went beyond just being known as a ‘marshmallow brand’. The old tagline of ‘marshmallow, but not as you know it’ only reinforced to consumers the association with the classic (and often cheap) toasting marshmallow – something Mallow & Marsh far surpassed in quality.

Mallow & Marsh is a crafted treat with quality flavours and a hefty substance to every bite, sitting almost unexpectedly in the supermarket chocolate aisle. 

The new Mallow & Marsh exists as a brand that creates chocolatey mallows, unique in texture, positioned as a slow indulgence. This re-framing led to the bold space of Pauseworthy Pleasure; a product-led positioning with a highly templatable lifestyle platform. With this new positioning, we infused the brand with luxury elements and adopted a more sophisticated tone that resonates with a wider audience and justifies the price point.

Defining our pleasure

At the heart of the new brand was a definition of what we meant by “Pauseworthy Pleasure.” We wanted to avoid the obvious categories cues of cliché ‘breaks’ – like feet up on the sofa and turning your phone off.

Instead, we were identifying a new type of me-time: a philosophy partly inspired by modern definitions of self-care, and partly a desire to live a more meaningful experience where your free time is spent doing what you love.

A refreshed visual identity

To match our new brand positioning, we streamlined Mallow & Marsh’s visual identity by eliminating clutter and unnecessary elements. We decided to veer away from the cartoon imagery that was previously used on the packaging and went against any usage of overly cute language that was commonly associated with fluffy mallows. Where these two elements portrayed a brand that was quirky and small, we wanted to ensure Mallow & Marsh was positioned alongside the iconic classic of the chocolate aisle. The new visual identity was defined by a confident “less is more” approach, a condensed colour palette leading with the iconic pink, premium food imagery, and short, evocative lines of copy.

New packaging

We refreshed all packaging in line with the new positioning – and for the first time ever, the whole brand was united with the singular pink colour.

Irresistible dripping-chocolate photography and a unique textured background – which was created from photography of Mallow & Marsh’s own mallow texture – now covers the packages.

In Spring 2024, the new brand launched, turning London pink with bold awareness advertising in OOH and paid social.

The advertising led with the product – a luxurious image of indulgence in a world of ‘chatty’ FMCG brands trying to tell bad jokes.

Across social

With a new brand comes a new strategy for social media. By developing new social content pillars, refining the tone of voice, and refreshing the photography style, we crafted Mallow & Marsh’s social to exist as an oasis within a busy day. We refocused the brand on the product, with the goal to share confident and characterful moments of #PauseworthyPleasure.

We are proud to have worked and continue to work on such an iconic brand, and we invite you to go do something you love while you indulge in Mallow & Marsh’s delicious flavours.