SYNOPSIS: Regatta is a new restaurant concept located in Acapulco, Mexico. The restaurant industry is hyper-competitive in Acapulco. There are literally thousands of restaurants in Acapulco – all competing for the next hungry customer. Located on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, Acapulco boasts an abundant supply of fresh seafood. Therefore, the majority of the restaurants in Acapulco serve, if not specialize in, fresh seafood. Regatta faced a difficult challenge – how to position themselves "apart from the crowd". We provided strategic consultations to help them create an unforgettable brand name and a market position that would allow them to prosper in a overly-saturated restaurant market while simultaneously attracting a three-tiered target market – Acapulqueños, Mexican tourists and tourists from around the globe.

CHALLENGE: Faced with a difficult challenge, we needed to create and unforgettable brand name, a brand identity system and marketing collateral that would appeal to both the locals and sophisticated consumers from both Mexico City and around the world. We also need to create a unique market position that would attract clients looking for something new and unique for their Acapulco dining experience.

Seafood is relatively cheap in Acapulco. However, most Mexican consumers are very budget conscious. Mexican consumers generally have larger families and going out to eat with the family is very much part of the culture in Mexico – especially while on vacation in Acapulco. Many seafood restaurants offer very affordable meals. This earns them both repeat customers and plenty of new business. The down-side to that advantage is that it also provides them with a lower profit margin. Many of these restaurants are family-owned and these families end up working 14 hour days with little to show for all of their hard work at the end of the month.

The challenge was to develop a brand that we could position as a premium brand – offering a unique menu while attracting the widest possible demographic for clientele. We needed to create a brand that would attract the price-savvy consumer who was willing to pay a little more for a unique experience. This would allow the investors to gain a greater return on their investment and provide them with the necessary capital to open locations in other tourist locations in coastal Mexican cities.

Another challenge we faced was to create a brand that was highly unique yet "corporate enough" to allow the owners and investors the opportunity to sell franchises across Mexico in the future. The Mexican Republic is a country that is predominantly coastline. Both Mindandy Studios and Regatta's investors envisioned great potential for selling franchises in dozens of coastal cities on the Pacific Coast, Baja California, the Gulf Coast and Mexico's Caribbean Coast – the Mexican states in the Yucatán Peninsula like Campeche & Quintana Roo.

RESULTS: The brand name "Regatta" is absolutely unforgettable. It is only three syllables, it is easy to spell and it is a word that is used internationally. Those who race in regattas (and own their own sailboats) are traditionally from a higher income bracket, and are more comfortable with the "finer things in life". Therefore, this brand name appeals to a more upscale market – thereby positioning itself as a premium brand. This allows the restaurant to charge higher price for their menu items, while keeping those prices low enough to appeal to middle-class consumers.

To help differentiate Regatta from the other seafood restaurants in Acapulco, Mindcandy Studios provided strategic consultations to the owners and investors of Regatta to stress the importance of a unique market position. In addition to fresh seafood soups, fish filetes, shrimp, ceviches, clams and oysters; Regatta also offers menu items unique to Germany. Fresh Bratwurst and Weinerschnitzel (prepared in Mexico City); home-made coleslaw and german potato salad; and freshly-baked, hot soft pretzels with "real" German mustard help create an unparalleled market position.

The market position and pricing strategies fulfill two strategic objectives. First, Regatta appeals to Acapulqueños and tourists alike looking for a "new" and "exciting" restaurant concept. Second, Regatta enjoys a greater profit margin than traditional seafood restaurants in Acapulco; yet their prices remain low enough to attract both middle class and professional class Acapulqueños.

Acapulco boasts as many cantinas as it does restaurants and beer (or "chela", as Mexican consumers say) is also a huge part of the culture in Mexico – especially in the more tropical regions of Mexico. During a hot summer's day, most meals are accompanied with the perfect complement – an ice cold Corona! However the term "biergarten" has never been used here in Acapulco. We advised the owners of Regatta that this word could assist us even further to create a highly unique brand. Therefore, we worked with Regatta's management team to create the positioning tagline – "Biergarten & Oyster Bar". This positioning tagline reinforces the brand's unique market position and leverages the strength of the brand's menu items from German cuisine – like Bratwurst, german potato salad, sauerkraut and Wienerschnitzel.

Regatta's brand identity and identity system are stylish and contemporary. We adopted a primary color palette that is found worldwide in the nautical flag system. We used this primary color palette to create a powerful brand identity system, creating a multi-colored identity system – business cards, letterhead & envelopes This strategy is also carried over to Regatta's menu design and advertising campaign. Regatta offers both Acapulqueños and world travelers a truly unique and sumptuous dining experience – unlike any other!