Crosta & Mollica

British brand Crosta & Mollica has risen from challenger to major player in just a few years. But despite impressive sales and rave reviews, the brand needed a cohesive creative strategy and suite of assets from which to plan its major investment in communications and activation. And whilst many consumers recalled it as “the stripey brand” few recalled the name (“crust and crumb” in Italian) or really understood the authentic provenance of the brand. In a world full of fake or cliched Italian brands, here was an opportunity to own something authentic yet contemporary and give consumers a taste of the real Italy.

This strategic and creative project called upon every part of the 360 bluemarlin promise.
Qualitative research lead to the creation of Brand Fundamentals from which all our creative expression flowed. The new packaging design was followed by a nationwide OOH campaign supported by digital, kicking off an ‘Altogether Italian’ summer on the longest day of the year. And finally, the brand’s first foray into television, with an ad that captured the magical and mythical qualities of Italy at the heart of Crosta & Mollica.

Crosta & Mollica’s unified aesthetic and unique tone of voice works seamlessly across retail and communication channels, driving trial, loyalty, and saliency.
But most importantly, consumers tell us that the brand transports them to Italy, delizioso!

Impressive growth numbers suggest that it’s becoming a cross-category icon; sales rose a whopping 44% in the year to June 2022 – within 9 months of the new identity launch. By June 2023 sales were boosted by a further 35% in response to the 40 new products launched in 18 months across the major UK retailers, all using our design system. With revenues at £42M (as of 2024) the brand has been sold to UK Private equity group Perwyn to accelerate sales further, and expand its global availability.