We are hearing a lot in the package design community about giving your
brand an identity the consumer can relate to by supporting some social
cause they can feel good about. Corporate branding and social
responsibility walking hand in hand is especially strong with younger
consumers, but many older shoppers are looking at the company behind
the product to justify spending their post-recession paychecks as well.
Tropicana’s
“Rescue The Rainforest” campaign, launched last year is just one example.
The challenge for designers is how to use the package to both sell the
product, and convey the social responsibility message. From
Media
Post.com, “Kraft Foods' Barnum's Animals Crackers are benefiting endangered
Asian tigers -- as well as the brand's sales and image -- via a
limited-edition, Lilly Pulitzer-designed package and a $100,000
contribution toward protecting the animals.”
The article continues, “The Lilly box design features animals drawn in
her fanciful style and a pastel color palette -- a major departure from
the nearly 100-year-old brand's realistic animal images and primary
colors. The design incorporates a call-out for the brand's donation to
WWF and WWF's panda logo.
One million packages of the special Barnum's boxes hit retail shelves nationwide in late March.”
Kudos to Kraft for daring to mess with a very iconic package and a
100-year-old brand, and joining forces with fashion world celebrity
Lilly Pulitzer, who not only designed the package, but is selling them
at her exclusive retail outlets—a very non-traditional channel for
cracker sales!
Most of the marketing behind Kraft’s support for endangered Asian
Tigers has been done via social networks, not traditional advertising
channels, another trend we continue to see grow and will follow.
So now consumers can happily bite the head off their Animal Cracker
tiger knowing that their support of the product goes to saving real
tigers!
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