Alan Gilbody

Wine in a can is a tricky concept to get your head around.

As I see it you have two possible approaches. You stay true to core wine language but introduce a new format and then explain and convince the consumer that this format meets a particular need.

The second route is that you do something very different, something challenging, something earth shattering, something that is new news and wakes the fixture up.

Now, you could say the example attached falls into that second camp, however it misses out on some fundamentals.

Even though it’s approached things in a challenging way, it’s not addressed some core consumer needs such as taste appeal and importantly for wine, quality.

Great wines are known for exquisite and complex taste profiles. That flavour story needs to come across in a clear and succinct way. Here the colours fall short. For example orange is not a good colour to cue rosé and the dirty brown doesn’t cue a robust red.

This could potentially be where the image picks up some of the slack however it tends to cue student fashion magazine rather than evoke a compelling story, as executed so well on 19 Crimes.

No matter how much you want to force differentiation always ensure core principles aren’t lost otherwise you’ve got a lot of convincing to do

#Marketing, #Design, #BrandDesign, #Packaging

You always need to ask why. Why do I need that?

If the packaging design doesn’t successfully communicate, what specific need of the consumer the product is meeting, the chances are you’re not going to convince the consumer to put it in their shopping basket.

Take this example from Dole. There is probably nothing more convenient than a piece of fruit. You can tell when it’s fresh, you can tell what it’s gone off, it’s got its own handy wrapper provided by nature and you know it’s healthy.

Plonk the same item in a plastic pot and you have a bit of challenge on your hand unless you convince the consumer what benefit you’ve added by doing that.

Consumers don’t buy products they buy solutions. Always make sure yours is obvious.

#Marketing, #Design, #Branding, #Packaging

Here’s another great example of something I’ve mentioned before.

What is the most important part of your pack? Is it the product that you’re selling? Is it the descriptor? Or is it the brand?

In a world of own brand, it’s important for big name brands to stand out and explain to the consumer why they cost more than their own brand equivalent.

If, as in the example attached, the brand and descriptor are cramped towards the top of the pack and so collapse only exposing a photo of the product inside, then you’re not really explaining to a consumer why they should pay the extra for your product. Especially as due to the reduced visibility of your key brand components it’s going to be looking like one of the own brand equivalents that it’s trying to differentiate from.

The best place for primary communication on these sort of packs, especially in the freezer sector is front and centre so that it avoids this type of crumpling.

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Always remember what type of product you’re selling.

Have a look at this pack that I found in my local Sainsbury’s. It doesn’t matter how functional or utilitarian your product is you have to make it enticing for a consumer.

There are three main factors missed on this pack that are fundamental to getting your product to appeal.

Let’s start with the brand. Many single ingredient products such as this one find it incredibly difficult to differentiate themselves from the competition. Not having a credible or relevant brand story, are still as relevant on these more utilitarian products as they are in some of the big brands.

That brings me onto the communication. In a busy store environment it’s important to stand out. There is a multitude of dead space on this pack that neither tells a story as mentioned above, or entices any “pick me up“appeal. Sure, it’s vinegar but there are many different types of vinegar and it’s not as if there is a shortage of space in order to communicate this.

Lastly, it’s format. Utilising structures that are more akin to a DIY store or auto spares shop are not going help matters either.

Getting even one of these three factors wrong can be perilous and increase the possibility of being listed but to fail on all three can be catastrophic.

#Marketing, #Design, #Branding, #Packaging

Some brands are associated with ceremony. The wedge of lime in the top of a bottle of Sol or Orangina’s shaking the bottle. These rituals create a connection with the brand. They dictate how the product is used and become powerful memory anchors.

Another of these iconic ceremonies was the Salt ‘n Shake blue bag. Hours would disappear rooting around the packet to find said blue bag before ripping it open and sprinkling the salt over the crisps. It was an important part of the whole experience. So important was this little blue envelope that Salt ‘n Shake integrated it into their logo on the front of the back.

I still remember once as a kid having a packet of crisps and finding two of these blue envelopes in it. I thought I’d struck Gold!

A couple of times a year thfind their way into the family shopping basket and it is always a nostalgic trip down memory Lane. Or so we we thought.

Upon opening a bag this weekend the iconic little blue bag had disappeared only to be replaced by something more akin to breaking bad than Salt ‘n Shake!

Not only had the blue bag being replaced, but the ability to find its transparent replacement was made even more difficult.

Although it is only a small detail in the whole brand it is so integral and important to the ceremony that if removed or altered, it changes the experience dramatically.

if you have a pack ritual that has reached iconic status never dilute it. Memory triggers warmth and trust.

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We hear a lot about brand stretch and brands known for one particular sector in supermarket moving into an unfamiliar sector.

Whilst it often makes sense from a business point of view as it’s much easier to support one brand rather than multiple brands, it can be quite a stretch for consumers.

Have a look at this pack from Yeo Valley. Consumers will instantly recognise this brand from the dairy aisle but it’s quite a mental leap moving sideways into soups, particularly using similar structure to that of the sector is better known for.

In situations like these, it’s often better to introduce sub branding so that the product feels like a whole new offering and the parent brand act as an endorser rather than a lead

Always try and take the shopper with you rather than create confusion

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Never waste space on pack .

Launching a brand into a supermarket is incredibly difficult process. Once you are in there, you have to do everything in your power to get the consumer to see you and understand you.

It’s an opportunity to tell the consumer a story and explain why your product best matches their needs.

This space is a premium so why waste it? Have a look at this pack from Toilet Duck. Is often difficult to see the area behind a blister pack, it can often be very difficult canvass to work with. That said, bold statements, colour, texture and punchy iconography is perfect for these awkward areas so that the pack visible from a distance.

Leaving that real estate blank makes the pack look unfinished and misses out on a golden opportunity to talk to your consumer.

You’ve paid for the space, never waste it.

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What is it and what is it for?

This is a really important question for any brand if it wants to stand out on helf. Too many don’t answer these 2 basic questions leaving consumers confused.

The attached is an example of just that.

I challenge anyone to tell me what this product is

Even after a quick search online for the product, it’s not completely obvious at first glance what this is and who would buy it.

Any ideas?

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The success of the chicken wine has been a spring board for a menagerie of different animal inspired wines.

You can see why, focusing the label around an animal can be a perfect way to lift the pack out from a sea of sameness. That said, in order to maintain credibility in the zoo, it is important that this animal is linked to the product in some way.

This pack caught my eye yesterday. Now, whilst the label was enough to act as a beacon on shelf, it needed to work hard to balance this beacon with credibility.

The brand hinges around the tweaking of the famous ‘pig based’ nursery rhyme. It’s an opportunity to do something clever memorable and establish credibility.

Get this wrong, however, as here and it can undermine its whole proposition. Clumsy copywriting leads to confusion and a world of potential cheesiness.

The brand has attempted to talk about what the Wein can be paired with and it’s overall taste profile but the net result feels a little shoehorned in rather than cleverly woven

Standing at a distance is one thing, convincing the consumer close-up is another

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Sometimes, all the information is there, it’s not presented in an engaging way.

Branding is all about storytelling. It’s capturing the imagination of the consumer and communicating how you meet a specific need.

Remember, the consumer decides emotionally and justifies logically. They have to be attracted and invested in what you have to offer.

Take this example from the cooking oil aisle. Arguably all the information is there to sell the product to a consumer, however the story is missing.

It immediately feels very worthy, almost like popping into Holland and Barrat’s to buy some multivitamins rather than a staple for the food cupboard. That tends to communicate hard work and compromise rather than benefit.

A great way to think about this is how would somebody described this pack and brand to me if I wasn’t there?
How is this going to make me feel?
How does it benefit me?
Why should I use this instead of my normal brand?
What visual sign post and triggers would they describe?
What tone of voice is it using?

Apologies for all the questions but it’s important to understand this. If the pack leaves you asking more questions than it answers, the chances of you picking it up and putting it in your basket are very slim.

#Marketing, #Design, #BrandDesign, #Packaging