How We Built a Shelf-Ready Sports Performance Brand

by | Jul 9, 2025 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Gnarly Nutrition didn’t come to us for a refresh. There was no brand yet—just the beginning of an idea in a highly competitive supplement market. Ballard Branding was brought in to create it all: the name, the identity, the packaging, and the strategy.

This is how we built the Gnarly brand from the ground up, and it’s why it still stands strong today.

 


The Challenge: Launching into a Saturated Market

The performance nutrition space is one of the most crowded product categories in health. Brands compete not only for shelf space but for authenticity in front of an audience that doesn’t tolerate hype.

Gnarly needed a bold name, a brand that felt real, and packaging that looked clean but could still stand up against louder competitors. It also needed to be built for scale.

 


What We Did: End-to-End Brand System

1. Name + Brand Identity

  • Developed the name Gnarly Nutrition to reflect grit, honesty, and performance
  • Designed the logo, iconography, and core brand system
  • Built a voice that was confident, clean, and athlete-first

2. Packaging + Labeling

  • Designed a full packaging system across multiple product lines
  • Developed compliant, retail-ready supplement labels
  • Created bold, shelf-dominant designs that delivered trust and clarity

3. Web + Content Foundation

  • Created product descriptions, brand messaging, and voice strategy
  • Built catalog materials and brand assets for internal and external use

4. Organic Growth Strategy

  • Supported the launch of an affiliate and influencer program
  • Built brand presence on Amazon, in catalogs, and in stores
  • Implemented an SEO strategy to grow organic traffic to over 5,000 visits/month

 


 

The Outcome: A Brand That Stuck

  • Gnarly grew to 5,000+ monthly organic visitors
  • 67 keywords in Google’s Top 3
  • 177 keywords in Google’s Top 10
  • Multiple SKUs packaged, launched, and positioned
  • Retail placement + Amazon presence
  • All growth achieved with $0 paid media spend

 


 

Why It Worked

Gnarly stood out because every part of the brand was built with intention. From the name to the packaging to the way it spoke, it felt different—because it was. It didn’t look like another wellness startup. It looked like something athletes could trust.

And that trust paid off.

 


 

Final Takeaway

Ballard Branding didn’t just create a logo. We built the voice, the shelf presence, and the foundation for a brand that continues to grow, without pretending to be something it’s not.

 

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