Reinvigorating the dessert category & connecting to a younger customer base

Dr. Oetker has been bringing people together to share in the joy of making pudding for well over a century, the industry-leader in making pudding mixes mainstream. However, with a burgeoning new cohort of younger customers, their pudding portfolio was no longer a top-of-mind dessert choice in a rapidly evolving F&B landscape. Gen Z's relationship with desserts marks a shift from previous generations; Dessert is no longer just a way to finish a meal. It has become a standalone, experiential occasion for socializing and entertainment. With a craving for the unexpected and unconventional, younger customers seek out more than just a sweet treat, they are looking for memorable, shareable experiences. 

Recognizing the opportunity to refresh the dessert category and engage with the next generation of customers, UXUS collaborated with Dr. Oetker to create an experiential brand that places food entertainment at its core: Pudu Pudu. By reimagining Dr. Oetker's iconic pudding heritage for the next generation of dessert lovers, we disrupted the category, once again establishing Dr Oetker as pioneers in the booming dessert category.

Creating a rich brand universe

In order to reinvent Dr Oteker’s offering and enter new innovation territory, we embarked on a bespoke brand creation journey. Every aspect of Pudu Pudu - from its name and visual identity to product innovation, menu curation, spatial and service design, media campaigns, merchandise, copywriting and website design - was carefully crafted to appeal to dessert lovers seeking unique and unforgettable experiences. Working closely with Dr. Oteker we created a rich and comprehensive brand universe from scratch. 

Transforming pudding into edible art, inviting customers on a taste adventure and creating pudding hype, Pudu Pudu is an immersive, disruptive hospitality brand that enhances Dr. Oetker’s awareness and brand perception, offering a highly shareable and unforgettable hospitality experience.

Inspired by the Dr Oetker brand heritage as pudding makers, the term Pudu is a playful abbreviation of their core product pudding. The brand mascot, the Pudu, (the world’s smallest deer) symbolizes the brand’s playful and welcoming personality.

Building experience first

At the heart of the brand was creating emotive experiences at every touchpoint. Designed with participation in mind, Pudu Pudu immerses the consumer in a visual, touchable experience that goes beyond the everyday. The store, a playground of creativity, brings the product to life in live, shareable experiences, transforming pudding into art inside a multidimensional space that helps people to explore food in new and exciting ways.

Results: Press, Social, Footfall & Sales

By engaging with customers on an emotional level, and designing with co-creation and instagrammability in mind, the PR and social response was overwhelmingly positive. The brand attracted press coverage at a local and international level, accompanied by a plethora of social media posts.

Strong commercial results followed, with +42% sales development in 7 weeks from opening the flagship Venice Beach brand experience.