SmeshLab: A Supplement Brand for Guilt Free Socializing

Brand Strategy · Brand Identity · Naming

The project in brief

SmeshLab is a supplement brand designed to accompany alcohol consumption, reduce its negative effects and support a more relaxed social experience, without moralizing about having fun. The project covers the full brand strategy journey: from market analysis to positioning, from verbal and visual identity through to launch strategy, events and social communication.

The goal wasn’t to design just another pharmacy shelf supplement, but to build a brand able to speak the same language as its audience: young, social, ironic, yet still mindful of its own wellbeing.

Positioning: filling the gap between two extremes

The market for alcohol related supplements currently sits between two unconvincing extremes: on one side, serious pharmaceutical products communicated in a clinical tone far removed from the actual moment of consumption; on the other, an almost total absence of solutions built specifically for the social context itself, the night out with friends, the aperitivo, the event.

SmeshLab was built to fill exactly that gap: not a product to hide with embarrassment at the pharmacy counter, but a smart companion for socializing, made for people who don’t want to give up fun but don’t want to pay for it the next day either.

Competitor analysis

To position SmeshLab correctly, we mapped the category’s main players along two axes: product format, liquid or solid, and approach, natural or synthetic. Competitors like Wilden Herbals and Futunatura sit in the natural, solid quadrant, while Life Extension and Adva Life occupy the synthetic, solid space. Citoethyl positions itself as natural and liquid, while Blowfish and Omre remain synthetic and solid.

This mapping revealed a clear open space: SmeshLab positions itself as a natural brand available in both liquid and solid formats, covering an area of the market where no competitor currently offers an equally versatile, recognizable proposition.

Mission and vision

SmeshLab’s mission is to help people experience socializing in a balanced, mindful way, offering natural, innovative solutions to reduce the effects of alcohol without giving up on fun, promoting a lifestyle grounded in responsibility, wellbeing and intelligence.

The vision looks beyond the single product: imagining a future where alcohol is experienced without guilt, in a mindful and positive way, through natural, effective, accessible products, eventually becoming a reference point for society’s wellbeing.

The archetype: the Jester

The most defining strategic choice concerns the brand archetype: while the supplement market is almost entirely dominated by the Sage archetype, often cold and instructional, SmeshLab embraces the Jester.

The Jester embodies lightness and humor, a symbol of mindful fun and rule breaking, able to carry deeper messages with empathy and without moralizing. For SmeshLab, this translates into a human, engaging tone close to the consumer’s real experience, able to educate about health and wellbeing without being paternalistic, breaking down the psychological barriers around “behaving well.” It’s a choice that naturally lends itself to creative, viral, highly shareable communication across digital and social channels.

Brand ladder

To build a solid positioning, we developed SmeshLab’s brand ladder across four levels. The product attributes are pocket sized supplements, with colorful, modern, youthful packaging, designed to accompany alcohol consumption and support a calmer experience. The functional benefits relate to reducing the after effects of drinking, offering more control and letting people enjoy socializing with more clarity. The emotional benefits translate into a sense of complicity among friends, with a friendly, light tone that encourages self irony without trivializing. At the top, the brand’s values and purpose: supporting physical and mental wellbeing, promoting mindful alcohol consumption, and believing in a sustainable future, including through circular economy practices.

Storytelling

SmeshLab’s voice starts from a simple idea: partying is an art, but doing it without paying the consequences is an even greater one. Our supplements are made for people who want to experience social moments carefree, without losing control, through practical, pocket sized, immediate formulas to handle the effects of alcohol with lightness and without drama.

The tone never moralizes or judges: it accompanies, while the user laughs, dances and toasts, promoting a more mindful drinking culture and an idea of wellbeing that starts from the body, because every moment deserves to be lived to the fullest, without compromise.

Brand plus: personality, values and positioning

Bringing the whole strategic work together, SmeshLab presents itself with a friendly, ironic, youthful and sustainable personality, guided by values of responsibility, wellbeing, innovation and respect for nature. The positioning sums it all up in one precise promise: not just another supplement, but the trick up your sleeve to come out on top of every toast.

The archetype helped establish how the brand should behave across every touchpoint, from visual identity to advertising and social communication. This created a consistent foundation for building recognition and emotional connection with the audience.

Persona

To validate our tone and product choices, we built Keira Black, 38, a restaurateur from Bergamo, representative of SmeshLab’s primary target. Keira goes out frequently, two or three times a week, often in trendy settings, works out regularly and looks for practical, portable solutions to fit into her routine. Her goals are keeping a good balance between fun and wellbeing, looking fresh and in shape even after intense nights out, and finding smart, fast solutions to reduce after effects.

Her pain points say a lot about the market gap SmeshLab is meant to fill: debilitating after effects that get in the way of a workday, difficulty finding products that are effective, non pharmaceutical and pleasant tasting, skepticism toward “miracle pills” paired with openness to scientifically grounded supplements, and a certain discomfort asking for “hangover remedies” at the pharmacy. That last point in particular confirms how much a brand able to normalize the topic, with a light tone instead of a clinical one, represents a real competitive advantage.

SWOT analysis

The project was also validated through a structured SWOT analysis. Among the key strengths are responsible branding able to talk about alcohol without moralizing, a unique positioning in a still underserved market, a distinctive tone thanks to the Jester archetype, smart pocket sized products, and a visually striking identity.

The main weaknesses concern low perceived need among the public, which will require educational work, the potential ambiguity of a message tied to alcohol, which needs to be managed with constant consistency, and an early stage validation phase that will take time to build trust through word of mouth.

On the opportunity side, SmeshLab can move as a pioneer in a still unexpressed category, that of supplements for responsible socializing, building strategic partnerships with festivals, venues, delivery and e-commerce, and benefiting from favorable trends like the rise of mindful consumption and a naturally shareable tone across social media. The main threats concern the risk of imitation, which makes a strong, defensible brand identity essential, and possible ethical criticism around the perception of encouraging alcohol consumption, a risk the brand’s positioning and tone of voice were specifically built to defuse.

Brand map

To keep a coherent overview of every brand dimension, we mapped SmeshLab across five axes: product, quality, values, image and service. The products span liquid formats, like Safe Shot and Fresh Back, and solid ones, like After Mix, united by quality attributes such as refinement, exclusivity and inclusivity. The core values are sustainability, ethics and calm, while the brand’s image balances a scientific component with a fun tone and a premium positioning. Service, finally, is built on an ironic but informed relationship with the audience, always approachable and never distant.

Packaging

The identity comes to life through two main tools: the Smesh Box, the package holding all three product lines, Safe Shot, After Mix and Fresh Back, and the SmeshLab Bag, the branded tote designed for retail and events. Products are sold through official stores, the brand’s online site and third party retailers such as Esselunga, Conad and Iperal, ensuring wide reach across both direct consumption contexts and mass retail.

Launch strategy and communication

The pre-launch plan involves opening anonymous Instagram and TikTok profiles alongside building the official website, to build curiosity before revealing the brand’s identity. The outdoor strategy relies on billboards with a colored background and the logo placed on just one side, deliberately leaving the rest blank: a space later completed by street artists with graffiti revealing the details of the launch event, while the site and social profiles are updated in real time with the same information.

The launch itself takes shape as a free event in Milan, at a large venue like the Ippodromo, with registration based entry to immediately activate the first CRM campaigns with discounts and a newsletter. The night is hosted by a DJ, and every attendee receives, at the entrance, a bag with post hangover candy, stickers, an eye patch made in collaboration with retailers like Douglas or Sephora, a wristband and a taste of the Safe Shot. Music, product demos and games come together in a young atmosphere consistent with the brand’s central message: drinking responsibly can be cool.

Beyond the launch, the events strategy includes three recurring formats. Smesh Lab Club Takeover brings the brand directly into clubs, with the Safe Shot as the star among music, performances and giveaways, bringing responsible fun straight into nightlife’s iconic venues. Smesh Lab x Aperol, Sunset Vibes offers a special aperitivo built for a young, mindful audience, blending music and sunsets, the perfect setting to introduce the Safe Shot in a relaxed context. Smesh Lab x Campari, Red Night Edition builds a more exclusive, intense evening instead, with iconic cocktails and the same underlying message: fun, yes, but always with awareness.

14. THE OUTCOME

SmeshLab was an exercise in strategic balance: building a brand able to talk about a delicate topic like alcohol consumption without falling into either moralizing or superficiality. The entire system, from the Jester archetype to the social tone, from packaging to launch strategy, grows from one underlying consistency: a brand that doesn’t judge but accompanies, turning a real need into a memorable brand experience.