Archive for March 2011
The human factor
Big brands are discovering ways to take on the ‘I made this in my shed this morning’ story of artisan production. In the UK brand leader Müller (from Germany) and new arrival Nom (from Austria) are both emphasising their Shropshire location, and here in France Danone is reminding its customers that milk comes from farmers,…
Read MoreThe farmer speaks
‘La Fermière’ is a small scale producer (not a real farmer) from the Aubagne region close to Marseilles. That’s enough information for me to love these products already, but for the rather fussier French public the website waxes lyrical about the special ingredients and ‘unspoiled by progress’ production techniques. The key brand equity that proves this…
Read MoreDisturbing the peace
Trays. 30mm of troublesome barrier to your pack getting the attention it deserves, or a great opportunity to get even more? Two ways to get attention here: write ‘Attention’ in big letters on the tray; and put a big friendly brand symbol on the inside, so the empty tray keeps working hard. We could do…
Read MoreAn Englishman abroad
If English eccentricity works for Tyrrell’s in England, imagine how much easier a sell it is in Europe. These packs help by really bigging up the company’s vintage postcard collection. Another ‘stuck in the past, and proud of it’ story, but it’s one that England does particularly well.
Read MoreWhich story do you see first?
Sad to admit it but I first noticed the typography, which I hereby award the ‘best use of drop shadow’ prize this month. Quite why those people are so intrigued by that feather I will leave to your imagination. The brand? That’s on the other side of the box, so I don’t expect they do…
Read MoreHot and messy ‐ that’s cool
Whilst competitors like Doritos have been getting lots of attention doing really cool stuff like co‐creation of new flavours and even ads, Pringles continues to quietly march on, growing 11% last year to reach number 35 in the UK’s biggest brands chart. Flavour innovation was a big part of this success, including new ‘Xtreme’ flavours…
Read MoreSmart SRP
This clever little assymetric tray allows the triangular form that denotes a speciality cheese to stand up and stand out. The pack itself mimics a cheeseboard and could actually be used that way on the table. But without a (graphic) story to tell me more about this brand, only packaging geeks might even notice.
Read MoreDid they forget to print it?
What does white code for on a pack? Purity? Elegance? Lightness? Naturalness? Economy? All of the above of course, depending on context. Here in tissueland Kleenex has long understood that the brand should be prominent on the shelf (to remind consumers of quality), but be invisible in the home (so the pack can blend in…
Read MoreHouse
Sainbury’s Private Label wines look resplendent in their matt black and gold labels, elegant typography, and a small but perfectly formed button to provide varietal coding. But the real story here is summed up in a single word: House. This transforms a good design into the special selection of an unseen sommelier. “I bought the…
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