Often, these both must be re-created when the product is already in the marketplace.
A host of research is required prior to establishing a brand’s identity and its ensuing package design. Category audits must be done to assess the competition at retail. The brand assets of the new product must be uncovered and its brand drivers identified. Consumer-based research into the brand experiences that impact consumer perception and decision-making must be assessed. Ultimately, package design must honestly and directly communicate brand values, and connect with the consumer.
I’ve always said that corporations’ brands are their most valuable assets. Maintaining the relevance of a brand with its target consumers is one of the most important aspects of brand management. We accomplish this by being trend-savvy, through continual research, and by pre-branding process for conducting research. There are many methods available for doing this; ours uses both quantitative and qualitative research to create and maintain consistent category leaders; hence the pre-design process lays the foundation for all brand identity and package design initiatives.
The process encompasses consumer and market research, as well as trend, competitive, and category leadership analysis. The consistent implementation of this process provides a solid foundation for developing focused design solutions. It uncovers and defines assets to understand the enjoyment potential of a brand prior to design development. It looks for the point at which the consumer connects with the brand in a positive, enjoyable way. It facilitates discovery and dimensionalizes enjoyment components, whether existing, assumed or proposed. The attributes create enjoyment in the brand and create a higher level of brand loyalty among consumers.
A customized, exploratory pre-branding process provides a framework to examine, stretch and develop the brand’s enjoyment aspects in three phases: discovery, evaluation, and visualization. Aspects that make the brand enjoyable are uncovered and assessed in audits, interviews and discussions with the brand owner, brand managers and brand strategists—and with consumers.
Enjoyment considerations can include three separate and distinct “forces”. I call these driving forces, idling forces and stealth forces. Driving forces are overt and understood enjoyment aspects of a product or product line. Idling forces might be dormant or supporting aspects to the enjoyment of a product. Stealth forces are as yet uncovered or proposed components of enjoyment.
Prior to the development of the brand identity and package design, evaluate the various enjoyment components of the product or product line—and rank them. You can often move salient idling and stealth forces to the driving forces category.
After the discovery, evaluation and visualization processes are completed, and the brand owner has approved written analyses and recommendations, the actual design process can begin. Here are two examples of what happened next:
Mattel wanted to develop a new brand identity and package design system for its top-selling line of Tyco Remote Control vehicles. The company used our research method in conjunction with its own research to position Tyco Remote Control vehicles with a focus of “quality, innovation, and adrenaline.” This brand positioning would establish a meaningful point of differentiation between Tyco and competitors.
We developed a brand identity and package design system with high-tech appeal. The brand mark evokes movement, energy, and a contemporary technological appeal while showcasing the unique stunt capabilities of each vehicle. Strong action colors on a black package “speak” to the brand’s target audience on the retail shelf. One of the most innovative features on the package is an easy-to-locate power system indicator.
Tyco says the new packaging has succeeded in meeting its objective of increasing awareness and building brand loyalty among young boys.
When Campbell Soup Co. introduced V8 Splash Smoothies drinks; it was counting on tapping into a growing, health-conscious market. Campbell intended to offer energizing nutrition in a drink that would appeal to an active family. How to convey the all-important brand message of this product line? Or, how to make a “splash” in the very relevant functional foods market?
The objective was to develop a package design system for the soy-based V8 Splash Smoothies beverage by leveraging existing V8 brand equities while creating distinctive imagery for this new category segment. A key factor was to bring the driving forces in this brand to the surface; this complex experience is critical to impacting consumer perception, buying decisions and brand loyalty.
Campbell’s research on the V8 brand was right on target. The exploratory process also unlocked the brand’s enjoyment attributes and confirmed that providing consumers with a positive, enjoyable experience helps to cement brand loyalty.
Research showed that the core target market for V8 Splash Smoothies is a woman 35 and older who know they can optimize their health by improving their nutrition, as well as the nutrition of their families. The health benefits of soy have been widely discussed and written about, and many mature women know that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized this health claim for soy protein and heart disease: “Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease.”
The label on bottles of V8 Splash Smoothies conveys the “refreshing” aspects of the drink rather than focusing on its “functional” aspects. The word “smoothies” identifies these beverages as soy-based drinks. Campbell’s positions this product as a V8 sub brand rather than a new V8 product introduction.
Brand imagery was created to focus on the enjoyment aspects of V8 Splash Smoothies. Our first label concept depicted a flowing “river of soy” in the background with illustration-enhanced fruit photography in the foreground. Our intention was to also clearly differentiate the flavor varieties. Campbell’s later changed the label to create more of a soy “swirl” in the background.
The overall image created resonates with consumers. The message is a fruity, refreshing, lighter-textured smoothie that won’t fill you up. The packaging sells the appetite appeal, energizing nutrition, and the refreshing flavors.
How has the brand performed at retail? In a supermarket environment where every stock-keeping unit (SKU) must have a predetermined sell rate by category to maintain its place on the shelf, V8 Splash Smoothies enjoys great placement. All three flavors are represented in every major grocery chain across the country—and the top selling two flavors are given two or three facings each.
The author, Ted Mininni, is President of Design Force Inc., a metro New York consultancy that specializes in brand identity and package design for the food & beverage and toy & entertainment industries. Contact Mininni at 856/810-2277 or visit www.designforceinc.com.
