The Whole Concept: Zumbo

Zumbo is the creation of the Australian pâtissier Adriano Zumbo who became famous in 2009 after his guest appearance on the Australian version of MasterChef (Stangl). As “a self-confessed sweet tooth and chocolate addict” (The Star Pty Ltd, p. 2) he is Australia’s favourite pâtissier and is “aiming to ‘caramelise’ the nation” (The Star Pty Ltd, p. 2). There are currently 7 Zumbo stores located nationwide, The Star (Sydney), Rozelle (Sydney), South Yarra (Melbourne), Balmain (Sydney), Waverley (Sydney), Emporium Melbourne (Melbourne) and in The Queen Victoria Building (Sydney) (Zumbo, 2015) (see Figure 1). I, sadly, have never eaten a Zumbo product due to my anaphylaxis (to nuts), however, I always enjoy looking at them when I pass by a Zumbo.

Figure 1: Zumbo Store at the Sydney QVB (Zumbo, Unknown)

The brand has a unique feel about it that makes you feel like each product was created out of a real love and care for desserts. Each product has a distinctive look about it and almost looks too good to eat (see Figure 2). They also combine unusual and interesting combinations to allure customers. I could not work out what it reminded me of until I read what IDEA Awards (2012, p. 1) had written about his ‘new’ store inside of The Star, “This fun, colourful and slightly kooky fitout was inspired by the boardgame Mouse Trap and owes much to Zumbo’s hero, Willy Wonka.” After reading that it clicked and I realised that the Zumbo brand reminds of Willy Wonka’s brand in the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The designs of their desserts and their packaging are bright and fun and so follow this Willy Wonka-like theme. Their packaging is very simple and clean looking (just simple colour/white cardboard boxes). 

Figure 2: Zumbo Desserts (2 Hungry Guys, 2015)

Each of Zumbo’s 7 stores is unique, and yet, you know they’re a Zumbo (mainly due to the fluorescent pink sign that reads ‘Zumbo’). Although I have only been to two stores (the one inside the QVB, which is more of a pop-up stall in the middle of the building’s walkway, and the store inside of The Star) I enjoyed both immensely, the colours and styling were inviting, and if I could eat something I’m sure it wouldn’t have disappointed. Zumbo utilises lots of bright and rich colours mixed with a modern design look. These stores all give a sense of the brand being modern, sophisticated and yet still keeping a sense of fun.

Figure 3: South Yarra, the first Zumbo store to open in Victoria (Zumbo, Unknown)

Bibliography:

2 Hungry Guys. (2015, 1 18). Zumbo Patisserie, The Star & Sydney QVB. Retrieved 10 1, 2015, from 2 Hungry Guys.

Niche Media Pty Ltd. (2012). Adriano Zumbo. Retrieved 1 4, 2015, from IDEA Awards: http://www.idea-awards.com.au/2012/adriano-zumbo/

Niche Media Pty Ltd. (2012). Adriano Zumbo Patisserie. Retrieved 1 4, 2015, from IDEA Awards: http://www.idea-awards.com.au/2012/adriano-zumbo-patisserie/

Niche Media Pty Ltd. (2014). Adriano Zumbo Patisserie. Retrieved 1 4, 2015, from IDEA Awards: http://www.idea-awards.com.au/2014/adriano-zumbo-patisserie-3/

Stangl, D. (n.d.). ADRIANO ZUMBO. Retrieved 1 4, 2015, from The Loop: http://www.theloop.com.au/DimitriStangl/portfolio/adriano-zumbo/79781

The Star Pty Ltd. (n.d.). Adriano Zumbo. Retrieved 10 1, 2015, from The Star: Sydney: http://www.star.com.au/sydney-restaurants/the-chefs/Pages/adriano-zumbo.aspx

Zumbo. (2015). Locations. Retrieved 10 1, 2015, from Zumbo: http://adrianozumbo.com/locations.html

Image Sources:

Figure 1: Zumbo (Unknown). Zumbo Store at the Sydney QVB [Zumbo Store at the Sydney QVB] Retrieved from: http://adrianozumbo.com/locations/qvb-kiosk.html

Figure 2: 2 Hungry Guys (2015). Zumbo Desserts [Zumbo Desserts]. Retrieved from http://2hungryguys.com.au/2015/01/18/zumbo-patiserie-star-sydney-qvb/

Figure 3: Zumbo (Unknown). South Yarra, the first Zumbo store to open in Victoria [South Yarra, the first Zumbo store to open in Victoria]. Retrieved from: http://adrianozumbo.com/locations/patisserie-melbourne.html

Retail Display Research

They way products are displayed in supermarkets varies depending on the type of product as well as which supermarket you’re shopping at, however they usually (in my experience) follow a similar appearance, for example cereals are packed up into shelves and feel very crowded and overwhelmingly colourful especially when compared to the fresh vegetables and fruit which are packed in a more open and plain and less retina attacking space.

I decided to compare the produce and cereal sections of my local Woolworths, the produce section is at the entry to the Woolworths, so that’s where I started. First thing I noticed about the produce section was that it was stacked on waist height tables, avoided most (over-the-top) packaging, save for perhaps a plastic or paper bag (see Figure 1) and used lots of earthy and natural colours and tones to give it a more natural, fresh and open feel. This is especially noticeable when I compared it the cereal isle which was packed with rows and rows of shelves of brightly packaged (and heavily processed) foods such as these Up & Go’s (see Figure 2). I will admit though that I do drink Up & Go’s a lot.
The same feel can be seen in Woolworth’s Macro range of organic foods, which use much duller, less vibrant colours and tones than most regular products to give them a healthier look and feel.

When their products are on special, Woolworths uses bright yellow tags (see Figure 3) that show you the price, how much you’re saving as well as the percentage it is off (the regular price). These tags stick out when going down isles so it is easier to notice when something is on special. Now when a product is new Woolworths utilises white tags with a pink border certain products also have cardboard signs that stick out from the shelf (see Figure 4) Another use of cardboard signs are for things for which Woolworths has dropped the price permanently, for example, Up & Go’s, which are $2.01 cheaper than they were a year ago (according to the cardboard sign) (see Figure 5).

Figure 1: Leafy Produce (Josiah Knoechel, 2015)

Figure 2: Up & Go's Colour Packaging (Josiah Knoechel, 2015)

Figure 3: Vegetables with yellow special tags (Josiah Knoechel, 2015)

Figure 4: NEW Milo cereal lost in the overwhelming bright colours (Josiah Knoechel, 2015)

Figure 5: Up & Go price comparison signs (Josiah Knoechel, 2015)

Post-Presentation Debrief

Reflecting back on our team’s presentation (see link/image below) for both our umbrella brand Håndværk as well as our own personal brands (which in my case was Libri Moda). I can see that although our presentation’s layout was clean and simple it was not all the same in the way we had laid it out so the continuity of our presentation was slightly broken. We also were unsure of which order we had placed the slides, for example, we had put Håndværk’s logo and meaning at the bottom instead of the top which caused a few problems when trying to present to our fellow students.

When it came to my presentation on Libri Moda I could have and should have been more prepared in what I would say (as well as how exactly you pronounce Libri Moda). However, I believe that I did a reasonable job (when compared to how I expected myself to fair). I gained some good feedback from the room on ways I could improve my product/s and logo, such as removing the book icon from under the words and just italicising the ‘Moda’ (in the logo) and working out how different shapes for different cities (on the notebooks) would work, but how one shouldn’t be overly complicated and one overly simple (e.g. a plain circle and a bevelled rectangle). I took this feedback onboard and reworked my logo (as well as thinking about my products), I believe that my logo looks a lot better now and that my products will be improved thanks to the feedback I received after my presentation.

Interactive Presentation (PDF)