Meat & Fish
Sensorial delicatessen
From Tesco’s black as slate to Stegeman’s black as a chalkboard. This one is extremely popular because it carries all kinds of associations, but mainly it’s about the look, smells and tastes of the delicatessen. I’m getting cured meats, artisan breads, cheese and delicious coffee just looking at the picture. An extra semiotic boost is…
Read MoreThe Delft treatment
If there was such a thing as design Twitter, then the kind of packaging that wants to be your friend (AKA ‘do me an innocent’) has been trending for years. It even attracted a rather sarcastic blog. Whilst the UK may be a bit tired of ‘wackaging’ it’s still spreading throughout Europe, but here in…
Read MoreFish with no tale
Staying in the fresh aisle but moving two thousand miles North East, who wouldn’t be tempted by these juicy steaks of trout and salmon? Assuming that the product’s going to look this good anyway, what’s the job of the brand here? Surely to make me choose the most convincing and reassuring story of freshness, origin,…
Read MoreGarnishing the truth
Given the choice, people like to see what they’re going to buy, especially when it claims to be fresh. Selling sliced meat or cheese presents several challenges – including approximating a fresh look in a plastic tray covered in a plastic film. Coloured trays, including some in convincing wood effect patterns can help, but it was the…
Read MoreDifferent kinds of sizzle
To paraphrase an old adage the job of marketing is to ‘sell the sizzle, not the sausage’. If your particular sizzle is authenticity, then take your pick from these 3 ways of selling it: Appetising food from a real chef (or are they just made under licence?); romantic farming couple with unfeasibly trendy wellies but…
Read More“Reminds me, must visit Scotland again”
In contrast to Mr Bakehouse’s efforts (see previous post), the clichés we’re seeing here don’t tell a coherent story at all. Lovely as it is to see some Scottish scenery, both of these brands are presumably expert in the business of actually smoking the salmon, yet that story remains untold. A window reveals the product…
Read MoreLess is more. Unless it’s less
The ham may be cured, but we think this new packaging could make the brand rather ill. It’s all very well for Waitrose or a premium niche brand to reduce its logo to a scarcely visible endorsement, whilst the product values are given centre stage. It’s our old friend the ‘less is more’ story, appealing…
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