ZAGREB, CROATIA — Vegeta is a universal food seasoning, an original blend of dried vegetables and spices that makes every meal taste better. Although it was the first universal spice in Central and Eastern Europe 65 years ago, today, it has a lot of other competitors. The question is, how does the brand differentiate?
The idea was inspired by the fact that Vegeta was not only an ordinary spice but also a tool created by a woman for women in their fight for gender equality.
In the post-World War II era, women entered the workforce seeking economic independence and equal distribution of household chores. During this transformative period, in 1959, Professor Zlata Bartl invented Vegeta, significantly reducing cooking time and allowing even the least experienced men to create delicious meals.
Now, 65 years later, Vegeta has become a household name featured in millions of kitchens and exported to more than 60 countries globally. However, even though most women work, household chores remain unevenly distributed. To honor Vegeta’s origins, Podravka and agency Bruketa&Zinic&Grey created a limited edition anniversary packaging to remind the whole family to share their household chores.
The graphic elements on the packaging reveal Vegeta’s rich history and status in popular culture. The packaging is also a physical gateway to a curated online collection of simple recipes created by the extensive Vegeta community. The packaging was designed as a tool for all those guys who are still figuring out how to hold their spatula like a pro. It even includes step-by-step instructions for dummies to use the dishwasher.
Limited edition packaging is made of cardboard and aluminum and is glue-free. Its design pays homage to the original metal packaging, often repurposed as the trinket storage tin.
It was put on sale for one day only on March 08, International Women’s Day.
This limited edition packaging garnered 30 media coverages and sparked social media conversations because even after decades of struggle, household chores remain unfairly distributed between women and men. Moreover, the packaging directly impacted sales: +25% compared to March 2024 and March 2023 and +20% compared to March and February 2024.
For some, equality is still hard to digest, but everything tastes better with Vegeta.
CREDITS:
PODRAVKA D.D.
Head of Corporate Marketing : Sanja Garaj Miloš
Head Director for Business Units: Krunoslav Bešvir
Marketing Director for BU Culinary: Sanja Kelek
Category Manager: Kristina Perković
Head of the Production and Creative: Emilija Sačer
Director of the Brand Identity and Communication Service : Danijela Pošta Šikić
Head of Group Corporate Communications and Stakeholder engagement: Majda Žujo
Marketing Manager of the Spices subcategory: Helena Hraščanec
Procurement Specialist: Ivana Zadro
BRUKETA&ŽINIĆ&GREY
Creative Director: Davor Bruketa
Client Service Director: Maša Ivanov
Senior Account Manager: Sanja Gumhlater
Copywriter: Lara Žučko
Head of Production: Anja Pečovnik
Head of Brand Activations: Ana Kovačić
Head of DTP Department and Prepress: Radovan Radičević
DTP and Prepress: Željka Tročak
PARTNERS:
Art Director and Designer: Sandra Mrkšić
Kompania Creative
Motion designer and animator: Andrej Todorovski
Crni Kvadrat
Sales and Print Production lead : Dubravka Babić
Baltazar d.o.o.
Head of Sales: Bruno Hajduković
Lim Samobor d.o.o.
