After more than five decades in the category, In The Raw® is stripping away the excess and letting the brand speak for itself.
The legacy sweetener brand is launching a full-scale masterbrand refresh, which represents a strategic reset that unifies the brand’s platform, portfolio architecture, and creative system under a single point of view. The update spans every major touchpoint, from refreshed packaging and visual identity to digital experiences and an integrated media rollout. Leading the launch is a new video campaign that introduces the refreshed brand to the market, cutting through category noise to refocus In The Raw on simplicity, trust, and honest sweetness. No matter the sweetener, In The Raw.
“This wasn’t just a new campaign; it was an opportunity to reset how the brand shows up everywhere,” said David Goldfarb, COO of Cumberland Packing Corp. “We wanted to build a stronger, more cohesive system that honors our heritage while enabling the brand to keep evolving and growing into the future.”
The launch is led by a comedic hero film that deliberately satirizes the excess that comes from taking the idea of “In The Raw” far too literally. Developed with creative agency Broken Heart Love Affair and directed by Aaron Ruell of Holiday Films, the spot opens with an overconfident, spectacle-driven pitch that escalates into visual absurdity — a tongue-in-cheek commentary on how far brands will go to stand out.
At the height of the chaos, In The Raw hits pause. The film breaks its own momentum to ask a simple question: what if we do less? The spectacle collapses into restraint, and the ad ends quietly with the product lineup displayed on a table.
“Ending the spot without a tagline or added explanation was intentional,” said Matt Barrett, Senior Director of Marketing at Cumberland Packing Corp. “It felt true to the brand. In The Raw doesn’t need to overstate itself; the name says it all.”
“There’s often pressure in marketing to add layers, louder ideas, and more explanation,” said Carlos Moreno, Partner and Chief Creative Officer at Broken Heart Love Affair. “With In The Raw, the opportunity was to flip that instinct on its head. By using humor and exaggeration to expose the absurdity of marketing culture, we were able to land on something simpler and more honest letting restraint become the creative idea itself.”
Founded in 1970, In The Raw is best known for the iconic Sugar In The Raw® packet. Over time, the brand expanded into a broad portfolio including stevia, monk fruit, agave, honey, and more. While the original product earned deep recognition, consumer research showed many shoppers didn’t always connect the broader lineup to the masterbrand. The refresh addresses that challenge by bringing the entire portfolio together under a cohesive brand and visual system anchored in the Sugar In The Raw® packet’s craft paper aesthetic that has long symbolized authenticity and quality.
The work marks one of the most comprehensive marketing efforts in the brand’s history and extends across refreshed packaging, digital experiences, and a fully integrated, multi-channel rollout led by the hero film.
Broken Heart Love Affair was appointed creative agency of record for In The Raw in late 2024.
