Pain Points
Plateaued growth
Unclear target audience
Inconsistent messaging
Declining ad performance
Solutions
Brand strategy
Audience refinement
Funnel development
Paid ads optimization
Email marketing
Tech Stack
Shopify
Klaviyo
Meta Ads
Google Ads
Meet Blue Unicorn
Blue Unicorn is a premium, plant-based protein bar brand built around a simple idea: indulgence without compromise. Their bars are chef-crafted, made with real ingredients, and designed for people who want something that actually tastes good — not just something that checks a macro box.
They had real traction. Distribution in major retail stores, a growing Shopify presence, and a product that genuinely resonated with the people who tried it. But despite all of that, growth had stalled.
Behind the scenes, their marketing wasn’t aligned. They were spending on ads, running campaigns, doing the work — but the messaging was talking to the wrong people. And when you’re speaking to the wrong audience, more volume just means more wasted spend.
Brand & Build Level
Pro
Grow Level
Pro
Industry
Food & Beverage
The Challenge: Breaking Through the Plateau
Blue Unicorn wasn’t struggling to get attention. They were struggling to convert the right people consistently.
Their marketing was a mix of experiments, influencer plays and retail exposure, but without a unified strategy holding it together, they hit a ceiling. Online and in-store, the numbers had plateaued. The problem wasn’t effort. It was alignment.
They were missing:
- A clearly defined target audience
- A distinct market position separate from competitors
- Ad performance that didn’t fatigue and plateau
- Consistent conversion across high-traffic moments
- An activated email channel for their 15,000+ contacts
The Solution: Aligning Brand, Audience and Funnel Strategy
We didn’t start with ads. We started with the question every brand needs to answer before they spend another dollar on marketing: who are we actually talking to, and why should they care?
Once we had that clarity, everything else (the creative, the targeting, the email flows, the website) could be built to support it.
Key actions taken:
- Refined the brand around a clearly defined audience
- Optimized the website and conversion experience
- Built a full-funnel strategy mapped to the buyer journey
- Restructured paid media for consistent, scalable returns
- Activated email as a core revenue channel
Part 1: Brand Strategy and Positioning
Refining the Brand Around the Right Audience
Blue Unicorn’s biggest unlock came from identifying who their customer actually was. Using Shopify data and campaign analytics, we found it: health-conscious women, 25–45, especially moms, who wanted better-for-you options without giving up on taste.
While competitors were chasing gym-focused Gen Z audiences with performance messaging, Blue Unicorn had a real opening — people looking for balance, not extremes. We repositioned the brand to own that space.
- Conducted deep audience analysis using Shopify and campaign data
- Refined messaging around indulgence, lifestyle, and real-life balance
- Highlighted differentiators: plant-based, real ingredients, chef-crafted quality
- Built a unified brand voice centered on “joy that fits real life”
- Developed a comprehensive brand guide to align all channels
Part 2: Website and Conversion Optimization
Making it Easier For the Right Person to Say Yes
We tightened up the on-site experience to match the new brand direction and support the ad campaigns driving traffic. The goal was simple: make it easier for the right person to say yes.
- Improved landing page structure and clarity
- Sharpened product messaging and value propositions
- Ensured ad creative and on-site experience were consistent
- Streamlined the user journey for faster decision-making
- Improved subscription UX to drive recurring revenue
The result: net sales grew 22.51% to $74,672 in March, while orders grew 12.72% to 1,786 — meaning average order value increased alongside conversion volume. Sales growth outpacing order growth is a signal that the site is working harder, not just getting more traffic.
Part 3: Funnel Strategy
Building a Conversion-Focused Funnel Strategy
We replaced scattered campaigns with a full-funnel strategy built around the emotional journey of the buyer — not just the transaction.
- Defined emotional funnel stages: Discover → Believe → Assurance → Buy → Advocate
- Mapped messaging and creative to each stage
- Built structured retargeting and lookalike audience strategies
- Aligned landing pages with funnel intent
- Optimized for traffic quality, not just traffic volume
Part 4: Paid Media
Paid Media Optimization & Performance Scaling
Blue Unicorn already had Meta ad potential. What they didn’t have was consistency. We restructured the approach around high-value audiences — the people most likely to buy — and focused on staying in front of them with fresh creative that didn’t fatigue.
- Shifted targeting toward past purchasers and high-intent lookalikes
- Balanced campaigns at ~60% retargeting / 40% lookalike audiences
- Rotated creative strategically to prevent ad fatigue
- Focused on conversion efficiency, not raw traffic volume
Meta Purchase ROAS hit 8.03x in March — up 14% from the prior period. Lifestyle ad clicks reached 545, a 154.67% increase. We also saw a significant conversion spike between March 19–23, where 157 out of 369 total monthly email-driven conversions happened in a single five-day window.
Part 5: Email Activation
Activating Email as a Core Revenue Channel
With over 15,000 contacts and almost no prior email strategy, this was the highest-leverage opportunity on the table. We built it from the ground up.
- Segmented the list into warm and general audiences
- Built two nurture flows targeting each segment
- Launched subscription-focused campaigns to drive recurring revenue
- Created product education and ingredient-focused content
- Established a lifecycle strategy for retention and repeat purchases
Email interactions grew 24.24% to 369 in March. The active list reached 13,287 subscribers, with 540 product subscribers representing a growing recurring revenue base.
Bring It All Together
Blue Unicorn now has a brand, audience and execution model that move in the same direction. They’re not chasing traffic, they’re converting the right people.
Clear positioning
Blue Unicorn now speaks directly to health-conscious women and moms who want indulgence without compromise.
A working funnel
Every channel is mapped to a specific stage of the buyer journey, from discovery to advocacy.
Repeatable results
Paid media, email and on-site experience all reinforce each other, turning ad spend into compounding returns.
The Conclusion: A brand that shines and delivers
Blue Unicorn’s growth didn’t come from doing more. It came from doing the right things in the right order. When brand, audience and execution align, the numbers follow.
8.03
x
Meta Ads ROAS — 8.03x purchase return
+22
%
Net sales growth — $74,672 in March.
+155
%
Ad engagement — 545 lifestyle clicks.
Shown: Anna Thaler
The Strategists
Tabea Purtschert | Brand
Tabea led the brand elevation work, helping Blue Unicorn uncover their true audience and reposition their messaging to connect on a deeper, more emotional level. The clarity she built on the brand side made everything downstream more effective.
Connor Biggar | Grow
Connor owned the growth strategy — paid media, funnel architecture, and data-driven execution. He turned ad spend into consistent returns and built the systems that made results repeatable.
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Big Red Jelly: Your New Brand and Growth Partner
At Big Red Jelly, we go beyond surface-level tactics. We partner with brands to uncover what’s actually driving (or limiting) their growth, and build strategies that align every part of the business around it.
For Blue Unicorn, that meant identifying the right audience, finding their real message, and executing with precision across every channel. When you work with us, you get a team that thinks strategically, executes intentionally, and is fully invested in your success.
Meet the Team
Why Big Red Jelly?
At Big Red Jelly, we understand that branding is more than aesthetics, and that it’s how your organization communicates value, builds trust, and drives growth. For Utah Partners for Health, that meant creating a brand that could serve multiple audiences while staying true to a deeply important mission. We combine research, strategy, and creativity to deliver brands that look better and work better.
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