Pinpon Pizza
Pinpon Pizza, affordability, speed, quality... and fun!
Role:
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Concept / Ideation
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Creative Director
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Art Director
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Space Design
Client:
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Cocobolo Foods
Partners & Collaborators:
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Aldo Quiroz
Cocobolo Foods is a dynamic company specializing in the creation of diverse restaurant concepts tailored to a variety of target audiences. With successful franchises such as La Cevichería and Crispy Pollo, the company has built a reputation for innovation and quality. Building on this success, Cocobolo Foods set its sights on the fast-food pizza market, aiming to introduce a competitive franchise that would challenge industry leaders and redefine customer expectations.
Overview
Cocobolo Foods envisioned a Concept bigger than a pizzeria; it was conceived as a fast-food pizza franchise designed to disrupt the market and compete directly with industry leaders like Caesar’s Pizza and Domino’s Pizza. The goal was to create a brand that balanced affordability, speed, and quality—key pillars of success in the fast-food pizza industry—while offering a fresh, localized twist to stand out.
The regional slang phrase "...de volón pinpon," playfully expressing the idea of something done very quickly, became the inspiration and foundation for the brand.
Rica, Calientita y de volón
Tasty, hot and quickly
The design needed to strike the perfect balance between affordability and quality, with a brand identity that resonated deeply with local audiences while maintaining scalability for future growth. A key challenge was addressing gaps in the market, particularly the absence of mid-tier pizza brands in specific regions, and positioning the franchise as a fresh and formidable competitor to household names like Domino’s and Caesar’s Pizza.
The Challenge
Cocobolo Foods tasked us with crafting a brand and strategy that would not only generate excitement but also lay a solid foundation for long-term success as a franchise. From visual identity to customer engagement, every element of the design needed to support the mission: to capture a significant market share and create a memorable, community-centric pizza experience.
The core of the brand's narrative and strategy was built around creating playful and engaging characters, each with distinct personalities. The challenge was to design these characters in a way that would captivate children while still appealing to adult audiences, ensuring a broad demographic reach.
Initially, the concept revolved around "Pinpon" as an Italian child rendered in a vintage cartoon style. However, the idea evolved into something simpler and more relatable: creating characters based on the actual products. This shift gave birth to "Mr. Pizza Crust," who became the brand's iconic mascot and logo.
A Brand with Character(s):
From there, the brand expanded its roster of characters, each representing a different menu item: Mr. Soda Pop, Pin Pon Paps, and Chef P.P.P. Each character was designed with a unique personality and charm, forming a cohesive yet diverse brand universe that reflected the variety and fun of the menu itself.
This character-driven approach not only brought the brand to life but also created a memorable connection with customers of all ages, setting the stage for a vibrant and engaging brand identity.
The Pizza Fun Factory
To bring the brand to life in a physical space, the concept of the Pizza Fun Factory was created. This concept served as the foundation for the architectural and interior design of the restaurant, ensuring a cohesive narrative that aligned seamlessly with the brand’s playful and imaginative identity.
The Pizza Fun Factory was designed to evoke a sense of wonder and nostalgia, inspired by the whimsical settings of vintage cartoons. Every detail aimed to create an immersive experience that was both engaging and memorable for visitors of all ages.
Key design elements included:
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Cartoon-inspired Gimmicks: Painted pipes snaking across the walls and ceiling simulated a lively "factory in motion," a nod to animated depictions of bustling production lines.
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Prominent Chimney: A visually striking, oversized chimney became the centerpiece of the facade, signaling the “factory” theme and making the restaurant instantly recognizable.
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Playful Simplicity: Simple, cost-effective materials were creatively repurposed to add character and charm, from bold, colorful accents to industrial-inspired fixtures that felt straight out of a cartoon world.
The result was a space that didn’t just serve pizza but brought the entire brand story to life. The Pizza Fun Factory wasn’t just a restaurant—it was a destination where customers could step into the narrative, connecting with the brand through both its flavors and its playful, imaginative environment.
To complement the playful, cartoon-inspired brand identity, a strategic product campaign was developed to introduce the menu to the target audience, with a particular focus on young adults and families. The campaign needed to strike a balance between the brand's whimsical personality and the need to showcase the actual products in an authentic, appetizing way.
The Product Campaign
A key element of the campaign was a series of high-quality product photographs that highlighted the real, mouthwatering appeal of the pizzas and other menu items. Each image was meticulously styled and captured to reflect the vibrant, fun essence of the brand, ensuring that the food looked as enticing in pictures as it would on the customer’s plate.