PACKAGING DESIGN & SOLUTIONS: REDESIGNING
Redesigns, including those pictured below, should only be considered once all other aspects of the brand have been studied to find problems
Redesigning: The last resort? Pat Starke of Design Activity discusseswhat needs to be considered before a brand decides to redesign its packaging
Brands can wield incredible power, influencing other brands, consumers, the media and sometimes, even governments.
B
Pat Starke is creative director at Design Activity, design agency. For more information, visit
www.design-activity.co.uk.
rands can be born with strong roots or come from good stock like a
successful manufacturing base; others are born with no footings but have a character so powerful that they capture the imagination and mature into something inspirational. Brands develop offspring in
the form of brand extensions or by stretching into other sectors. Some will survive, some will be delisted and some, like Heinz are the mature forefathers of FMCG, shepherding an evolving brood of family members forward. Brands evolve due tomarket
forces or changes in circumstance. This can be a gradual regular brand refresh, a change of packaging if youwish, or it can be a root and branch character shift.
20 | Packaging Gazette |
PackagingGazette.co.uk It's important to understand a
brand's family tree and roots, to discover its true essence, its history and past endeavours and its relationship with the consumer before commencing a packaging rebrand.
REASONS FOR CHANGE Brands never redesign for no reason at all, and therefore there are many factors that influence the decision. First, there’s the business.
Brands and brand owners are bought and sold and can benefit or suffer accordingly. This cycle of investing and divesting can be due to global economics,whether it’s the rationalisation of brands into international entities or change driven by newownership, themacro business dynamics are often a catalyst for a rebrand. Next, there’s the market.
Factors influencing the market the brand operates in will naturally affect it (i.e. legislative change, commodity prices,
competitor activity). Sometimes it’s a shift in the consumer’s attitude towards a market. Or perhaps a general upsurge in demand for the whole sector, generating a boom time, increasing competition and forcing brands to re-evaluate. The brand itself should also be
considered. Brands that have dated or been neglected, can face urgent rebranding simply to keep in stepwithmarket trends. This can often be the fate of amarket leader, occupying the high ground,with the parent company reluctant to change and disrupt the fortunes ofwhat has become a cash cow.What is actually happening during this period of "if it aint broke don't fix it" is that the brand is eroded by its number two and three competitorswho are continually investing. Finaly, think of the consumer.
Brands sometimes find themselveswith diminishing sales, as they lose the relationship with their consumer base.
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