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Crafting the Future of Joy: Carmen’s Best Brand Transformation

2023
FMCG, Dairy & Dessert

When Metro Pacific Agro Ventures (MPAV) acquired Carmen’s Best, one of the Philippines’ most beloved artisanal ice cream brands, they approached CIA Bootleg Manila to help unlock a more ambitious future. The goal: elevate Carmen’s Best from a cult favorite to a full-fledged premium dairy brand—expanding beyond its loyal circles to serve a wider audience and product portfolio.

Project Champions

MPAV Leadership Team

Project Manager for Project A

Project Manager for Project A

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Overview

Crafting the Future of Joy: Carmen’s Best Brand Transformation

Carmen’s Best was originally born as an act of love—a father making ice cream for his daughter. But as the brand grew, it became something more: a symbol of uncompromising quality, handcrafted goodness, and heartfelt joy.

MPAV’s challenge for Bootleg:

“How do we reintroduce Carmen’s Best to a wider, more diverse audience—without losing the soul of the brand?”

Bootleg and MPAV embarked on a multi-phase process to rediscover, rearticulate, and reimagine Carmen’s Best for a grander vision of gourmet dairy.

Our Solution

🧠 Deep-Dive Brand and Consumer Insighting

Our multi-disciplinary team of psychologists, sociologists, researchers, designers, and F&B specialists dove deep into the emotional and cultural meanings of ice cream and milk.

Key Findings:

• Ice cream evoked feelings of being on a blissful trip—a reward, a joy, a carefree escape.

• Milk stirred emotions of being nurtured and cared for—comfort, love, childhood.

Carmen’s Best needed to deliver both: a moment of joy and a feeling of care. This insight became the anchor for its relaunch.

🔍 Brand DNA Refinement

We defined a new central brand DNA:

“There’s no better joy than giving your best.”

This reflects not just product excellence, but the brand’s deeper spirit: a desire to share the best of yourself with others.

🧪 Consumer-Centered Design Research

Bootleg’s strategy, research, design, and food teams collaborated to:
• Scan global trends in gourmet dairy, cheese, and frozen dessert
• Conduct taste tests with lifestyle tastemakers and culinary experts
• Host customer interviews and concept validation sessions
• Audit Carmen’s Best and competitor brands in-store and online
• Immerse in retail, restaurant, and lifestyle settings to assess relevance and cues

🎨 Design Partnership with Brandyard

Bootleg partnered with Brandyard to bring the strategy to life through a bold new visual identity system, rooted in the refined brand DNA and human insights.

The result: a fresh, elegant, joyful look—built for both everyday premium and seasonal gourmet indulgence.

What We Did

CIA Bootleg Manila’s contributions included:
• Brand research and DNA articulation
• Consumer insights via psychology and culture-based interviews
• Product and category analysis
• Design strategy and packaging testing
• Visual identity redesign with Brandyard
• Strategic narrative for relaunch and brand expansion

Carmen’s Best is now ready to churn out not just the best flavors—but the best version of itself.

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