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Recently, the Drum conduced a survey of 120 millennials to find out their favourite brands in relevant categories. Let’s see if you can guess any before the answers are revealed.

1. Beverage
2. Clothing
3. Supermarket
4. Food-Service
5. Telecoms
6. Travel
7. Banking
8. Food
9. Personal Care

Find out the answers below..

Beverage

3 main reasons for this answer was reliability, taste and familiarity with 1 in 4 saying it was their favourite drink. It’s true that from a very young age, children will see Coca-Cola everywhere, wherever they go in the world and whatever shop they go in it will be a consistent brand. The familiarity of the Christmas advert and the ongoing marketing activity online or at events such as festivals also cements the brand in people’s mind. It’s a very traditional brand that we think will still continue to be a fan favourite for many years to come.

Clothing Brand

The Drum stated that the top demands for clothing brands were variety, access and loyalty perks all of which Asos ticks. Runners up were New Look, Topshop, Zara and Next.

Who would yours be?

Supermarket

Results of this question were a bit of a mixed bag, with both value and affluent supermarkets appearing in the top 5 (Tesco, Marks and Spencer, Aldi, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s) One of the main reasons discovered in the survey was Tesco’s brand guarantee and club card benefits. It could also be the familiarity of Tesco as you’re never too far from one!

Food-service

Now this was no surprise to us when reading this but yes Nando’s topped the list for favourite food service of Millenials. Second place was awarded to Just Eat, followed by Dominos, Pizza Express and Five Guy’s. As the Drum pointed out all of these offer a relaxed dinner approach with a casual setting. The convenience of getting your food delivered and being able to watch it in from  of Netflix resignates with Millennials. A popular

Telecoms brand

Again, no surprise to us that O2 won the vote of top teleoms brand. Second place was EE, followed by 3, Vodafone and Giffgaff. We believe the O2 Priority was what swayed it for Milleanials here. Access to gigs, festivals, events and cinema tickets is a great way to attract and most importantly keep younger consumers.

Travel brand

1 in 6 Millennials voted Airbnb their top travel brand followed by Thomas Cook, Skyscanner, Tui and EasyJet. Airbnb is very popular at the moment due to it’s flexibility, price and discovery aspect. You never know what you will get in the middle of a new city! We see Airbnb staying around for a very long time.

Banking Brand

Closely followed by Lloyds, Barclays, Natwest and HSBC, Millenails voted Santander their winner with 19% of votes. The Drum states that respondents made their decisions based on benefits, customer service and security.

Food Brand

Top place in this category is Cadbury, beating Ben & Jerrys, Doritos, Kinder and Lindt. The combination of great tasting chocolate and familiarity definitely plays a role here. Everyone knows Cadbury chocolate due it’s appearance at every occasion in the UK! Christmas, Easter, Valentines, Halloween – you’ll find Cadbury’s somewhere!

Personal care brand

Finally millennials voted Nivea their top personal care brand. Followed by Dove, Simple, L’oreal and Tresemme. The extensive product range for all skin types means this brand is one for everybody and not just targeted at specific people. Whether it’s skin care, make up, men’s grooming on sun care, Nivea’s got it covered. A household staple.

Did you guess any of these correctly? Let us know what you think and your favourite brands in these categories below.

Find us on Design Rush and discover some of our recent branding work here

Brand positioning is the foundation of your brand. 

It’s the question we always get asked.. so here’s the answer.

A brand is what your customers perceive about you and how you make them feel. Therefore brand positioning is about developing a unique perception about your brand in the mind of the consumer. In order to discover the ‘opportunity’ we will consider:

1) What your product does well (credibility)

2) How you can be different and unique from the competition (differentiation)

3) Research and analyse consumer trends to understand what your consumer needs (relevance)

During this stage of the project we spend time considering the consumers and exploring trends to create insights and discover consumer needs within your particular field. Using this information we then craft “ownable” and “unique” brand propositions, which build the foundations of the brand – detailing the brand essence, core belief, product truth and tone of voice.

This is an important basis to not only guide the design, but also everything regarding the brand moving forward. Your choice of ‘tone of voice’ during the brand positioning can effect how you write copy on your website, to how you engage with consumers through social media, the choice of products you might look to launch in future, and so on!

Do you need brand positioning?

Brand positioning is not something every brand definitely needs, but we would highly recommend it. Having a unique proposition makes it much easier to sell your product into retailers. It also gives you a great opportunity to clearly differentiate yourself from competitors on shelf. Many of our clients have used the brand positioning we created for them to clearly communicate to retailers exactly why they should stock their product – and essentially got them a foot in the door!

Having a solid brand positioning also makes it easier to expand your range of products. Let’s say you have a food product and your positioning is ‘Surprise your senses’ as your range has quirky flavours. This positioning has scope to allow you to launch new flavours/products under the same brand that would also surprise your senses. This also reaffirms the consumers perception of what your brand stands for (perhaps exploratory, exciting etc…).

What next once you’ve selected your brand positioning?

When you have selected your preferred territory, this will influence the pack design and we begin with the first designing stage. The brand essence, core belief, product truth and tone of voice will play an important part. This is always taken into consideration before any design work begins.

Hopefully now you are a bit clearer on what brand positioning is and why it’s important. Now when someone asks you the dreaded question what does your brand stand for or what makes you different from everyone else, you have an answer!

To find out more about our brand positioning service call 0208 222 6999 and check out some of our brand case studies here

For more information on brand positioning, Marketing week post industry updates here

Now that the sun had decided to grace us with its presence, it truly feels like Summer in the UK. Sweaty trains, shorts, sunglasses and sleepless nights.

Have you ever noticed that we see seasonal packaging, in particular Christmas, Halloween, Easter and Valentine’s Day, but rarely Summer packaging on the shelves? Today we’ll be looking at the possible reasons for that, as well as the opportunities this opens up for brands.

Colours

Think of Summer…. What colours do you think of? Could it be a reason brands shy away from Summer packaging due to the limited colour palette of oranges, yellows and whites? If a brand is amongst competitors who have also chosen to explore Summer packaging and products are all using the same colours, there is an obvious risk of not standing out. Therefore it’s important to do a thorough competitor analysis to ensure you can differentiate from competitors.

Weather

We have been very fortunate with the weather this Summer, unlike previous years which have often been reminiscent of a Winter’s day. Let’s now look at a ketchup brand and packaging is screaming a sunny environment to inspire the consumer to eat ketchup at a barbecue. If it’s tipping it down with rain outside, you might not appeal to the consumer. On the other hand, if the weather is more typically ‘English’, a Summer pack design could offer some fantasy and escapism.

Sell well anyway

Some products such as ice cream, barbecue foods, alcohol and suncream sell well during Summer. The need to create new Summer designs as their sales are sufficient during the specific period may not be required. If anything, most of these categories should be focusing on other seasonal packaging that isn’t Summer to ensure sales throughout the year.

Gifting

Other opportunities for seasonal packaging are sometimes associated with gifting; Christmas, Valentine’s, Easter. Some brands use this to their advantage by positioning the product itself as a gift. During Summer, this is much more difficult for brands as Summer is does not have that association with gifting, unless you know someone who burns when they spend five minutes in the sun and you buy them aftersun as a gift of generosity!

Characters

What do you think of when you hear Christmas? Santa, reindeers, snow. What do you think of when you hear Halloween? Spiders, ghosts, zombies. What do you think of when you hear Easter? Eggs, chicks, bunnies. All of these occasions that can be used in packaging contain characters that you can get creative with. When you think of Summer, you do think of sun, beaches and sand. Unfortunately, these aren’t as fun as some of the other occasions and means less chances for creativity with the pack design.

Not an event

Again, if we think of the times brands would use limited edition packaging, it is normally an event that is one day and built up to. Summer is a long time period (or is meant to be) from the start of June to the end of August that isn’t a day or celebrated as much as other events. Could this be a reason brands see it as less important than other holidays and therefore packaging doesn’t celebrate it?

Relevant 

Some brands may find it simple to link their product to Summer. Let’s say you are a haircare product, you could create Summer packaging for use in the sun or on holiday. However, if you are a brand such as hot chocolate, predominately being drunk in Winter, it may be more difficult for you to link your brand with Summer. We would not recommend trying to force something that your brand doesn’t stand for and making a strange link to Summer.

Opportunities

Now we have looked at the potential reasons brands may shy away from Summer packaging, we wanted to share with you some of the reasons brand DO utilise it and the opportunities it holds.

Summer packaging gives brands the chance to expand their product range. Whether that is testing new products, limited edition ranges or products that are Summer specific, it’s a great chance to grow a brand. As well as the opportunity for further products, Summer packaging opens up a whole new consumer base. Consumers may discover a product due to new packaging that wows on the shelf. This opens up the possibility for brands to become known as a holiday essential in the Summertime.

If consumers are more aware of brands during Summer, this inevitably means having the opportunity to boost sales. If your brand doesn’t sell well in the hot months, investing in Summer packaging that ties in with your brand in some way is a trick you could be missing. Want sales all year round? Give it a go.

Summer lasts a lot longer than most other holidays so if you are currently doing seasonal packaging such as Halloween, you won’t have as much of a shelf life compared to Summer packaging. If you’re going to invest in packaging, Summer could be a good place to test to waters.

During Summer you also have the chance to be experimental with your brand, take it somewhere new and test it with a fresh, vibrant colour palette. Get creative!

Discover some of the top Summer packaging of 2020 here

Top tips

If you have chosen to go ahead with Summer packaging, we have listed out top tips below for you.

• Make sure it is relevant for the brand
• Be positive in all messaging
• Make sure people will still recognise the brand
• Don’t follow the crowd
• Don’t be narrow minded. Could your packaging turn into a fan?
• Use Summer imagery
• Link it to a Summer campaign e.g win a holiday
• Use opportunities to sell more products

If you’d like to talk to us about Summer packaging give us a call on 0208 222 6999. Check out some of our recent work here

Here at Slice, we are always on the lookout for imaginative, quirky and clever packaging that is different to everything else.

The kind of packaging you would stop and make you say “cool.”

Using clever packaging that really thinks outside the box means you are more likely to have people talking about it and wanting to get their hands on it. An ingenious piece of packaging can definitely compliment the product itself and is also a great way to stand out amongst your competitors.

Today we’ve looked at 15 pack designs that impressed us.

1. Teapea tea

2. Good Hair Day Pasta

3. Blood Of Grapes

4. Smirnoff

5. Hanger Tea

7. SpoonLidz

8. Zen Fragrance

9. Poilu Paintbrush

10. Paramasen Pencil

11. Mini Oliva

12. Japanese Cookie

13. La Vieja Fabrica

14. Cupcake Oven

15. Butter! Better!

Did any of these put a smile on your face? If you can think of any more innovative and clever pack designs you’ve seen, let us know.

Based in London UK, Slice Design are a top international creative branding and packaging design agency that have helped consumer brands grow and get noticed since 2004. We like to think of ourselves as a challenger to the large agency. As the name suggests we cut through jargon with our flexible, no nonsense approach and down to earth attitude.

No fancy trademarked processes and no hidden extras. The benefit to yourselves is all the experience but with the flexibility that large packaging design agencies cannot deliver.

From our studio in Hammersmith, London, we work for clients around the world: global and local, big household names and small startups, challengers and leaders. Whether a big brand re-design, NPD launch or simple packaging updates. We’re proud to remain flexible, refreshingly honest and wholly independent.

Credit to Digital Synopsis, Bored Panda and Inspiration Feed for the clever inspiration. 

Discover Slice on Food Package Design Company comparison company, Design Rush. 

We’ve received a blog award!

Last week Feedspot informed us that we had been listed in the ‘Top 100 Packaging Blogs and Websites For Packaging Industry Professionals’

Our blog ranked one of the best packaging blogs from thousands in Feedspot’s index using search and social metrics.

Blogs that made the list were ranked based on following criteria:

• Google reputation and Google search ranking
• Influence and popularity on Facebook, Twitter and other social media
• Quality and consistency of posts
• Feedspots editorial team and expert review

See the full list of blog winners here

A big thanks to Feedspot for including us in this list and to everyone that reads our blog. We hope you enjoy our posts as much as we enjoy writing them.

Design agency blogs are usually nothing but word-salad peppered with every buzzword imaginable. We don’t see the value in sharing that. Our blog is about slicing through the jargon to give you focused tips and insight based on the stuff we deliver best. Top quality branding and creative.

About Slice Design

Based in London UK, we are a top international creative branding and packaging design agency that have helped consumer brands grow and get noticed since 2004. We like to think of ourselves as a challenger to the large agency. As the name suggests we cut through jargon with our flexible, no nonsense approach and down to earth attitude.

No fancy trademarked processes and no hidden extras. The benefit to yourselves is all the experience but with the flexibility that large packaging design agencies cannot deliver.

From our studio in Hammersmith, London, we work for clients around the world: global and local, big household names and small startups, challengers and leaders. Whether a big brand re-design, NPD launch or simple packaging updates. We’re proud to remain flexible, refreshingly honest and wholly independent.

You can see some of our recent branding and packaging design work here

Team Slice

The 2017 ‘Love List Brand Affinity Index’ compiled by Condé Nast US and Goldman Sachs has revealed millennials and gen z’s favourite brands.

The survey of 13-39 year olds discovered that that Victoria’s Secret, Sephora and Nike were the top ranking favourite brands. See the full list below.

Question: What are your favourite brands? What is your favourite store or site to shop?

RANK          BRAND

1                     Victoria’s Secret
2                     Sephora
3                     Nike
4                     Coach
5                     Kate Spade
6                     Michael Kors
7                     Ulta
8                     Lululemon
9                     DSW
10                   Nordstrom
11                   Macy’s
12                   Under Armour
13                   Adidas
14                   MAC
15                   Steve Madden
16                   Urban Decay
17                   Target
18                   Forever 21
19                   Zappos.com
20                   T.J.Maxx

Question: What brands that you are buying from or hearing about today that you weren’t focused on last year?

RANK          BRAND

1                     Fabletics
2                     Too Faced
3                     Kylie Jenner Cosmetics
4                     Colour Pop
5                     Glossier
6                     Anastasia
7                     Lularoe
8                     Glam Glow
9                     Kat Von D
10                   Milk

Question: What brands are you buying from that have been around for more than several years?

RANK          BRAND

1                     Adidas
2                     Nike
3                     Lululemon
4                     Urban Decay
5                     NYX
6                     Sephora
7                     Tarte
8                     Ulta
9                     MAC
10                   Victoria’s Secret

Question: What apps are you using today that you were not using much several months ago?

RANK          BRAND

1                     Snapchat
2                     Amazon
3                     Instagram
4                     Twitter
5                     Pinterest
6                     Target
7                     Poshmark
8                     Facebook
9                     Sephora
10                   Uber
11                   Starbucks
12                   Wish
13                   Ebay
14                   Mercari
15                   Venmo
16                   Google
17                   Netflix
18                   Pokemon Go
19                   Etsy
20                  Ibotta

Here’s what Condi had to say about the results:

“This year’s study clearly shows how millennial and gen z consumers are increasingly interacting with brands through online and mobile shopping technology.  More than one-third of apparel shopping is conducted online, 35% for women and 42% for men, and consumer values are shifting to focus on efficiency, speed and convenience.”

Discover the top PEO Companies here

What would be your top brands in each of these categories? Let us know here.

It’s not easy starting a business. 13 years ago, we at Slice were in your shoes and a start up ourselves.

It can be extremely daunting and challenging being a start up but if you get it right, also incredibly rewarding and exciting. Being an independent agency means we have the flexibility to work with entrepreneurs and start ups as we understand the challenges you face.

We love the passion of start ups – the excitement and joy when they see the finished product that was once merely an idea over a glass of wine. Today we’ll be sharing our top tips and advice for start ups, when dealing with a design agency.

1. Be prepared for questions

When you first speak to a design agency, you should expect to answer questions regarding your brand so please be prepared. These questions are vital for the agency to understand the project in totality.

Usual questions you can expect are:

• What is involved e.g packaging graphics, naming, website etc?
• What is the main objective of the project?
• How many master packs are involved?
• How many additional variants do you have?
• When is your deadline?
• Do you have any mandatories?
• What is your budget?

We often get asked what is a master and run-on. Let’s take our designs for Stork for example. The master here will be the chocolate pack and the other 2, run-ons. This is because they follow the same style design but with minor changes such as colour and flavour.

What would make them all masters? To all be masters they would have to be a different format or each be a different product e.g. Victoria sponge, cupcakes and muffins.

2. Don’t skip brand positioning

A brand is what your customers perceive about you and how you make them feel. Therefore brand positioning is about developing a unique perception abut your brand in the mind of the consumer.

We look at what you can credibly say about your brand, what makes you relevant and also what makes you different. We then create a unique opportunity for your brand so you can be assured you will stand out against competitors. Having a unique proposition means it is much easier to sell your product into retailers.

3. Meet your agency

Before you agree to anything, we would always recommend meeting your agency. It’s important that you have the right chemistry as your account manager will become your best friend.

You need to feel comfortable enough to pop into the office and see the progress of your project. Can you imagine having a cuppa with them?

At Slice, we have created a service specifically for start ups to make sure you have a viable brand and pack design that fits your budget as a startup company.

4. Don’t have afraid to have opinions

If you want your pack design to be a certain style, colour or name – SPEAK UP. Don’t worry about having an opinion. A good agency will listen and discuss your ideas. Even if it’s not the right way to approach things, they will explain why not.

Working with a design agency should be a partnership.

Alternatively, don’t worry if you have questions. A lot of agencies can use jargon that’s just fancy ways of abbreviating words. If you need clarity on something, whether that be a phrase used such as ‘cutter guide’ and why the design is that colour? Ask. It’s your investment!

5. Have fun as a start up

When designers get their hands on a start up brief, they are often the most exciting. The passion of an entrepreneur who lives and breathes their idea is inspiring. We understand that it can be stressful but don’t forget to have fun! Pack design is creative, adventurous and exciting. The nutritional bits and bobs can be the tricky part but leave that to the professional agencies to worry about.

Our main bit of advice would be to see branding as an investment. For a new brand which no one knows, how it looks on shelf/online is vital to it selling. The design of your packaging needs to catch people’s eye and encourage them to pick it up. How it looks will effect the future of your brand. Good luck!

Choosing healthy options for childrens’ lunch boxes can be difficult with the amount of processed and pre packed foods that are widely available.

Following from our blog post last week where we looked at innovation in children’s packaging due to new rules around childhood obesity, we have looked at alternatives that can be incorporated into lunch boxes to satisfy health credentials and get healthy food into children whilst presenting opportunities to expand your portfolio of products.

Sandwich Alternatives

Humous is a healthy snack that can come in a variety of flavours and snacking options. Instead of the usual carrot and humous combinations, brands such as Wild Garden, Sabra have looked at incorporating crackers with humous to make it a 2 in 1 snack.

Sunbites have expanded their range from just crisps to crackers and salsa in the same pack. A great way to fill you up and expand their portfolio.

Brands such as Seeds of Change and Merchant Gourmet have released microwaveable packets of their products. Even though they are not to put in lunch boxes, they are quite convenient and quick to heat up the night before to mix with something – perfect for busy mums.

Super Yummies and Organix are some of the brands who have introduced small packs of crackers, breadsticks or pretzels, which can be put into lunch boxes on their own or accompanied by a dip. Healthier options include spinach sticks and kale chips.

Falafel is a nutritious and healthy alternative to the sandwich. It can come in a variety of flavours such as moroccan and mediterranean and garlic. Brands such as Great Food have an extensive range of vegetable bites perfect for lunch boxes.  It’s not just for vegetarians!

Snacking Alternatives

Seed brands such as Superseeds and Good 4U have produced single seed packs that are transportable in a pouch form. These are ideal for a lunchbox, on their own or sprinkled over salad to add something extra.

Similar to seeds, nuts are perfect for a lunchbox snack. A trail mix will provide a mixture of nuts and fruit, however the market currently does not have any specifically aimed at children.

If children are struggling to eat fresh fruit, dried fruit can be a good alternative snack. Sachets, packets or pots of dried fruit will be great on their own or covered in yoghurt/chocolate as an extra treat.

Small olive pots for children can be another option for lunch boxes. Oloves and Pearls are some of the brands who have already explored “on the go” olives in small tubs. These olives could also come with dips/feta/roasted tomatoes etc.

Instead of the usual chocolate bar or crisp snacks, some brands are looking at alternatives for these. This includes raw chocolate bites, mixing fruit and chocolate, healthy crisps and raw cereal bars. Mars have released packs combining chocolate, fruit and nuts.

Holland and Barrett have a range of snack-able toasted vegetables which range from sweetcorn, broad beans, chickpeas to coconut curls. The Happy Snack Company have also released a range extension of toasted beans for kids snacking.

Brands such as Eat Real and The Giving Tree have produced crisp alternatives that include pita, quinoa, hummus, vegetable and lentil crisps. For parents who want something a bit healthier for their children – this is a great option. Again, another alternative to crisps is popcorn. Small tubs/packs of popcorn could also potentially be mixed with nuts, fruit, seeds or even chocolate.

Would any of these products fit into your range? If so give us a call or pop us an email to discuss these opportunities.

Is the future of packaging for children about to change?

From July this year the Committee on Advertising Practice (CAP) released the following rules in response to the increasing concerns of childhood obesity that will shake up the world of marketing:

• Ads for HFSS (High Fat, Salt or Sugar) products cannot appear in other media where children make up over 25% of the audience.
• Ads for HFSS products will not be allowed to use promotions, licensed characters and celebrities popular with children; advertisers may now use those techniques to better promote healthier options.
• The Department of Health nutrient profiling model will be used to classify which products are HFSS.

Celebrities and cartoon characters will be banned from promotional material but not food packaging. Does this mean more brands will use this to their advantage on their packaging or avoid this completely so it doesn’t cause issues in the future?

The Dutch food industry has already made a bold move in deciding to remove popular children’s characters from the packaging of unhealthy foods.

“The decision, which is the first of its kind in Europe, will mean characters including Dora the Explorer, Disney’s Frozen heroines and Miffy the rabbit, are to be banished from food and drinks high in fat, salt or sugar which are targeted at children.”  

How influential are children?

Although not necessarily active consumers themselves, children will certainly try to influence what their parents buy them. If something catches their eye on the shelf, they will go on about it until their parents give in. It’s important the packaging not only stands out for the adult but also the children.

As packaging digest quotes ”Kids influence up to 80 percent of all household purchases. And as a market segment, they are impossible to ignore. In fact, ignoring them may mark the beginning of the end for your brand.”

6 months:

Babies are able to recognise brands by forming mental images of logos and mascots

Age 2:

Brand loyalty may begin

Age 3:

Specific requests for brand name products

Age 5:

Children are ready to make their own (parent financed) purchases

Age 7:

Control over their own decisions

Pretty influential it seems! Stats are courtesy of Packaging Digest

What can brands do?

The best children’s packaging is made with a good sense of humour as well as fun and colourful design elements that make them stand out against competitors. Below we have looked at some of the best examples that we can find. These go the extra mile for innovation and have Slice Design’s approval!

Smoothie Safari connect their straw and the packaging to bring the animal to life

Beehive use the bear on pack as a fun way to encourage children to eat their breakfast cereal

Bla Bla use their packaging as an open mouth to display the products. An exciting way for kids to open the pack and dispense the sweet for consumption

Similarly Cloetta use the mouth concept as a cool way to open the chocolate inside

Coromega use a friendly character to represent the packaging on their healthy food – encouraging children healthy can be fun

A lot of brands such as Heinz & Tilda rice have released kids ranges as they know the potential and revenue this market can bring. It’s important that these packs are different to the normal parent branded packaging which both Heinz and Tilda have done – Tilda use elephants on pack to appeal to the younger generation.

It will be interesting to see from July what the impact of the new rules means for the future of children’s packaging. Which of these packs do you like? Tell us here.

With Easter coming up, some brands will be releasing their Easter packaging. Whether this be limited edition products or existing stock in new packaging, this is a great opportunity to boost sales or reach a new consumer base if you are smart about it.

Below are the most common times that brands tend to use seasonal packaging:

• New year
• Valentine’s day
• Mother’s day
• Easter
• Father’s day
• Summer
• Halloween
• Christmas
• Major events e.g olympics

However, not all of these will be applicable to your brand. Understand which can tie in with your product/brand and improve sales, as opposed to just being an addition product that doesn’t fit in your range.

For example if you’re a chocolate company you are in a much easier position to produce Easter or Valentines seasonal packaging. If you are a sports drink brand, it’s a bit more difficult. Maybe Easter isn’t the best option for you – why not try new year? Target those gym bunnies and their new year’s resolutions.

The key with seasonal packaging is to plan in advance – don’t leave it till last minute with Easter two weeks away! Packaging can take months to complete and launch if you also consider printing. Set yourself a plan of holidays that you believe suit your brand and possible ideas to brief into an agency. Also, have a look at your competitors to understand if they are doing something similar. You obviously don’t want to recreate exactly what they are doing!

It is important to not take away from your brand with the new packaging. For example, don’t alter your packaging so much that no one can identify it. Try to keep your brand logo the same as this is integral to customer recognition. Do use additional colour and graphics that represents the relevant season, but don’t go overboard!

In 2011, Coke’s Arctic Home campaign saw the launch of a brand new white can for Christmas. However, the white and silver can confused their customers who said it looked too much like Diet Coke and actually led to diabetic customers accidentally drinking it. The famous red can was brought back just 1 month later..

You can have a lot of fun with seasonal packaging, turning it into a social media campaign or making the packaging interactive so it leads to the website, creates buzz around your brand and gets customers interested. For example at Easter, you could hide a small Easter egg on pack for people to find. Why not try doing personalised holiday packaging too. Nutella often do personalised named packaging in shops around London at Christmas for a perfect Nutella lovers gift. Get creative!

Seasonal packaging is also a great way to introduce new products into the market. If you have a new product that you think may not work too well, launching it for a few weeks as part of a seasonal campaign is a good way to test the waters. You can see how well it sells and gather people’s thoughts to understand if you should launch it long term. It may also be that it sells very well during the particular season and you know that every year you should launch that limited product at the same time to boost sales.

Be smart with your seasonal packaging. Could the packaging be of another use to consumers once they’ve consumed the product itself? For example in summer, could you give instructions on how to turn the packaging into a fan to cool you down? Or for Valentines, could the pack have a ready to cut out heart shape to give to your partner? Turn it into something collectable to really make an impact with customers.

Kleenex’s sales spike in winter due to the inevitable cold season. Obviously during the summer months, their sales take a dip. In an effort to change this, Kleenex released new watermelon summer packaging with the idea of bringing them to a picnic and to look nice in the home during the summer months. The result of this packaging was great; “Sales of the novelty box not cannibalising sales of standard Kleenex boxes and were close to 100% incrementally.” Not only did this new packaging mean Kleenex could still sell during summer, it also brought a whole new consumer base who needed tissues not just for the flu.

If you need any advice on seasonal packaging or think this could be right for your brand, give Slice a call on 020 8222 6999 or contact us here.

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