Fat Pho, Shanghai - China

Strategy / Branding / Packaging / Uniforms / Signage & Way-finding

Background

Spanning more than 30 years, fusing the culinary cultures of Vietnam, China and Australia, and with two generations of craftsmanship and innovation, Fat Pho's philosophy of consistent quality has resulted in a bowl of Vietnamese pho that speaks to the soul. 

Fat Pho was born in Australia and raised in Shanghai. Since opening prior to Covid, the brand is still growing even in the midst of the Covid pandemic. It has grown to eight stores across China in less than three years. 

BrandWorks was engaged to consolidate Fat Pho brand positioning in-market, brand story, and identity extension to propel its brand forward.

Approach

To differentiate from Fat Pho’s competitors in China, the story of Fat Pho was crafted around the idea of one person - Fat Pho, a tastemaker, traveller and global citizen of Asia. An explorer of food and purveyor of culture all in one. Guests would be invited to join Fat Pho’s adventure of food and flavour and finally finish up with a hearty bowl of his favorite dish, Vietnamese Pho noodles. So good in fact, his best mates likde to call him Pho. And so you should you. 

BrandWorks approached the brand using traditional Vietnamese elements but with a modern twist. The design elements are visually appealing, bold, and interactive to connect with their target audience. GenZ consumers are known for valuing authenticity, sustainability, and inclusivity, During the design development phase, the studio incorporated those elements into the brand's messaging to make it more front of mind.

Challenge

BrandWorks China was engaged to help build the brand by retaining the existing brandmark and two primary brand colours. The team needed to ensure any new elements introduced would tie in with existing and upcoming venues in its pipeline, without diluting the brand messaging or damage the brand’s image in market.