Branding

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.

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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.

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There is no denying that the Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference range features an amazing lineup of products across all sectors in the food aisles.

In fact, many of the packs are nicer than some of the big label competition. However one thing that started creeping into some of these packs, particularly the ones with the most awkward canvas is the Introduction of a long narrative onto the front face.

It’s a great opportunity to use the language of the menu and evoke appetite appeal but in some instances such as the tins in the image attached it can create a bit of a barrier.

The fantastic food shot tends to get a little overwhelmed by the amount of copy. As consumers only have around seven seconds to make an impression, it’s asking a lot of the consumer to read through all of these narratives across all variants in order to make a purchase decision.

The text is clearly legible and accessible but tends to overwhelm the packs. Were you only have a limited amount of time to impress, it’s much better to focus on more immediate visual shortcuts to draw the consumer in and use the copy to seal the deal once they picked it up and explored the pack.

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It’s very easy to lose track of the bamboozling amount of YouTuber consumer products out there.

Most fall into the same trap of if you don’t know who the celebrity is the brand is pretty meaningless. I think many are missing a trick here by only pitching the product to their small yet dedicated fan base rather than opening it out to new consumers.

Take this product from recent London Mayoral candidate and kiddy sunglasses wearing Niko Omilana apart from being a bag of sweets, what’s is it doing differently and why should I buy it?.

For anyone wondering who in the world Niko was, and I was one of these until one of my kids guided me in the right direction, declaring that something is by Niko is pretty irrelevant. Fine if you Cadbury or Bassett, but if your name is not immediately attributable to confectionary is not actually supporting your proposition or encouraging consumers outside of your fan based to try the product.

These YouTuber personalities should instead focus on creating strong brand stories and values that extend AND develop their personal brands to make them relevant in the product category they want to move into.

Miss out on this and you could be cutting out a sizable chunk of consumers.

#Design, #Marketing, #BrandDesign, #Packaging

Here’s a sight pretty typical in a lot of supermarkets. These are the pans in the kitchen equipment aisle. Believe it or not there are three different brands here all vying for attention but failing to showcase any of the key benefits.

This is something you see a lot on kitchen equipment because rather than the product be inside packaging, the packaging is often inside the item, the pans are a good case in point.

Additionally, they tend to be merchandised on their side leaving a small and insignificant canvas.

There is huge potential here for any of these manufacturers to look at a solution similar to Crosta & Molilca where they utilise a bold pattern along the edge of the packs so that even with a reduced canvas, they never fail to capture attention .

It’s not just pans, you see the same issue with Pyrex dishes although they can rely on a certain amount of transparency for the inside out of packaging to catch the eye.

So if space is a premium and you all look the same on shelf, be different, be bold and you will be sure to stand out.

#Marketing, #Design, #BrandDesign, #Packaging