Repositioning Duzi Turf

Duzi Turf is a large and ambitious grass grower in central KZN, South Africa. They have an interest in developing a range of adjacent products and industries that centre on the “circular economy”, that is, the recycling of waste products for ecological benefit. The brand was already several years old when Paperboat was called on to help.

Although Duzi Turf had been in operation for years and had an established and recognisable brand, you wouldn’t have known it from any Google search. The website was a couple of years out of date, had added only two or three posts to their news section, and did not rank on any Google search. The company was also under-selling their stock by several hectares.

Our first task, therefore, was to design a new website and to make sure that the SEO was set up correctly. We fast-tracked the site and had it ranking on front pages of Google searches within a couple of months.

Left: Duzi’s old site. Right: Paperboat’s update.

Besides the obvious problem with Google ranking, Paperboat quickly identified problems with brand positioning and the quality of design. As Paul Rand said, “Design is the silent ambassador of your brand,” and Duzi’s brand was failing badly in this area.

Our one adjustment to the identity was to remove the outline around “turf”, which appeared dated and was not in keeping with the brand positioning that we intended to set in place. The more pressing problem was that, with apologies to the previous marketing team, Duzi’s designs were weak and showed insufficient consistency and coherence, as can be seen below.

Our repositioning cast Duzi Turf as a magician-leader brand. This means firstly that it is a company responsible for transformations–for imagining a new way forward and bringing it to fruition. Secondly, it is a company that leads the market and sets the trends. The visual style ought therefore to be bold, confident, rich, and display a touch of flair.

Duzi Turf’s site generated consistent leads and they enjoyed an excellent 2020-21 season. Our time on their projects has ended as they have brought their design in house. We wish them all the best as they continue to transform as a company and to bring about transformations for their customers.

Got a project? Talk to us about it.

Let Paperboat help you define a stronger purpose and build a sharper image.