Snack on Something Steamy
Wow Bao, the vibrant Chicago-based restaurant brand, shifted its business strategy to fuel national expansion—offering bao and dumplings in grocery store freezers and through delivery. With the need to unify their messaging across diverse channels—restaurants, delivery kitchens, grocery, foodservice, and online—they partnered with Seedhouse to redefine their brand. Together, we built on their legacy of innovation, evolving Wow Bao from a restaurant to a snacking sensation synonymous with hot, steamy eats.
Overview
Client: Wow Bao
Delivered: Brand Identity Refresh, Messaging Platform, Brand Development, Brand Guidelines.
Honoring Brand Restaurant Roots But Repositioning for CPG Growth
Wow Bao had always been known for its bold flavors, cheeky attitude, and innovative approach to fast-casual dining. But as the brand shifted from a restaurant-focused model to a more complicated multi-platform approach including CPG retail, vending machines, delivery kitchens, it needed a way to tie all of those avenues together in one compelling story. The challenge: maintain its essence while clearly communicating its new position in the market.
We leaned into Wow Bao’s core strengths—hot, small bites cooked with steam—while crafting a new positioning that emphasized its role as a go-to hot snack. This evolution ensured that whether a customer encountered Wow Bao in a restaurant, a grocery store freezer, or on a delivery app, they immediately understood what made it special: fun, flavorful, and always steamy.
All about design focus and lively language
To bring this new positioning to life, we focused on two key areas: a dynamic messaging platform and design restraint. The brand voice was dialed up with playful, energetic language that reinforced the steamy, snackable appeal of its offerings. The brand made its initial splash with spicy language but had lost its way and needed a new injection of energy – irresistibly engaging, playful, confident, and snack-forward.
Meanwhile, Wow Bao’s visual identity was disjointed from old efforts with multiple agency partners. We refined it to allow the brand’s uniqueness to shine, ensuring clarity and consistency across every touchpoint.
Codifying the New in Brand Guidelines
A strong CPG brand needs scalable consistency. We crafted comprehensive brand guidelines detailing everything from visual identity to tone of voice, ensuring internal teams and external partners could execute the brand seamlessly. This codification empowered Wow Bao to maintain its distinct personality while scaling across multiple platforms (CPG/Retail, On Premise, Delivery, Online). In the process, we also built out design assets for the company to use moving forward – patterns, photography, color palettes, fonts. We tested these assets by creating sample applications such as t-shirts, home page designs, and sample social media posts.
Partnering with Web Design to Bring the New Brand to Life
Beyond brand positioning and guidelines, we collaborated closely with Orbit Media (awesome web designers) to translate Wow Bao’s fresh identity into a compelling digital experience. The updated website reflects the brand’s evolution—engaging, vibrant, and built for conversion—ensuring customers can seamlessly explore its food, whether they’re craving a quick snack or planning their next bao-filled meal.
Wow Bao is primed for national success. By embracing its restaurant roots while repositioning as a warm snack sensation, the future is, indeed, Wow.
