Extracting lessons from the Darbo campaign "From Nature to Your Table"
This article summarises the work approach of the Darbo brand marketing campaign project (a jam brand from Austria) by breaking it down into repeatable steps and principles. This allows you to use it as a framework for writing your own project summary. Each section will explain both "what this project does" and "why it was done this way," so you can immediately use it to explain your own work.
This project involves designing an integrated marketing communication campaign for the Darbo brand, with the main goals of creating awareness and trust through storytelling about the "origin of fruits," from nature to the consumer's table.
The highlight of this approach is that it does not randomly choose communication channels, but rather assigns each channel "its own role" and connects them into a single circuit, from outdoor media (offline) to packaging and the online world.
The heart of the campaign is the phrase "From ___ to ___" designed to be fill-in-the-blank, which crystallised into "From nature to your table." This concept is anchored in the five brand values that serve as the core of every piece of work:
⭐️ Connection
⭐️ Tradition
⭐️ Health
⭐️ Trust
⭐️ Family
The main insight driving all the work: Consumers really want to know "the origin and cultivation of the fruits." Therefore, the entire campaign focuses on transparency and traceability of the ingredients.
Work observation: A good Big Idea should be short, easy to remember, and flexible enough to be broken down into various pieces. The structure "From ___ to ___" serves this purpose well, as it can be applied to billboards, packaging, and social media.
This project follows a 6-step sequence that you can use as a work outline.
Step 1 - Start with the brand's concept and values
Start by defining the Big Idea and brand values first, and then let everything else "respond" to this initial concept. This step is communicated through a moodboard (breakfast table, bread with Darbo jam, family photo) to set the mood and tone of the work.
Step 2 - Transform the concept into the Key Visual
Create a main image that conveys the concept in a single picture, in this case, using an image of a family sitting around a table in nature, with a basket of fruits and Darbo products, serving as a style reference for the entire campaign (this image was created with AI to serve as a sample for presenting the idea).
Step 3 - Choose communication channels rationally
Not choosing channels based on popularity, but choosing based on the "role" that each channel performs best.
The main channels in the campaign: Billboards build credibility and honour the brand's roots, reaching people in their daily lives. Instagram creates engagement and emotional connection through creators. QR-Code serves as the ultimate proof of transparency "at the dining table," allowing consumers to verify the source of the fruit themselves.
The main idea is that traditional media builds trust → social media creates bonds → QR code concludes with proof.
Step 4 - Design the implementation for each channel
Offline Media:
1. Traditional Posters & City Lights Static posters placed near major supermarket chains
2. A motion designed to resemble a billboard, gradually zooming in on the Darbo jar, placed in busy locations such as train stations.
3. Packaging Gimmick Design "From me to you!" The package, it gives a gift-like feeling and shows the transparent details of where the product comes from.
Online Medias:
1. Reels - Short split-screen clips that build on the main concept
2. Stories - Quiz/poll, such as "Where was this strawberry grown?" Ready to attach a link to the interactive map.
3. Paid Ads - Push reels and stories to Austrian target audiences who do not yet follow the brand.
Creator Marketing - Work with creators in 2 phases (see next step)
4. AR-Filter - A filter that engages users
5. Influencer: an Austrian food creator, whose high-energy and sincere cooking style makes the use of Darbo jam as a premium ingredient look natural.
6. Virtual Interaction - Website/interactive map showing the origin and cultivation of fruits, which is the destination of every QR code.
Step 5 - Explain why this "ingredient" works
Close the campaign rationale by summarising how all touchpoints work together, organised into three main pillars:
1. Interactive OOH - High-spot billboards with QR codes that take consumers to the source of the fruit
2. Social Amplification - Genuine collaboration with family and food creators, complemented by community events to build trust.
3. Product Storytelling - Transforming packaging into a digital touchpoint, allowing buyers to trace the origin of the fruit while using the product.
The heart of this section: Reach consumers "where they are" and make data access easy and customisable.
Step 6 - Budget
Conclude with a clear budget table to make the proposal tangible. The largest budget is allocated to content production and paid advertising, which reflects that the campaign emphasises "creative quality" and "target audience distribution."
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📌 We can break down the thinking behind this project into 6 simple steps that can be applied to any project: main concept → main image → media strategy → execution → connection of everything → budget.
The strength of the Darbo project "From Nature to Your Table" is not in spreading media widely but in "consistency." Whether it's roadside billboards, IG Reels, or labels on jam jars, everything tells the same story: "the origin of natural fruits" and leads consumers to the same destination, which is to allow them to verify the source.
