Osborne Pike

Welcome to the first Shelf Life of 2012, with an innovative new feature – the takeout. This is not, as my Scottish friends might assume, a voucher for a Chinese takeaway, but a simple summary of the marketing point behind each post.

Of course when I say ‘point’ I really mean ‘point of view’, since these are only my thoughts, albeit infused with the experience of too many years to mention. Feel free to disagree or support them by leaving a comment.

The fact is that the supermarket shelf is a fantastic treasure trove of information, populated as it is by the fruits of some very clever (and some less clever) thinking, all competing to make the right story appear, in an instant, in the mind of the consumer.

I love this description of the place I call home from The Total Package: ‘the supermarket is as visually dense, if not as beautiful, as a Gothic cathedral, and as predatory as a tropical rainforest.’

Let’s go hunting…

Great to see Veuve back on top form after the fridge fiasco commented on in our November 2010 blog. Here we see a return to some fashion-based wit, with a tech-fabric cooling bag complete with faux leather handle and fastener, sporting the ‘VCP’ detail from the brand heraldry. Simply loving the sketched stitching and luggage tag, darling!

Takeout: Clever and relevant promotional packaging stimulates impulse purchase, even at this price.

What could it achieve for your brand?

As I explained in a recent seminar, Dorset Cereals uncovered a hidden army of muesli fans when it created a brand new story through packaging, and tens of thousands of consumers sighed with relief: “at last, a muesli that understands me!”

I also showed the plethora of brands who suddenly felt the need to move their product into smaller, matt boxes with a window reveal. Few of these admirers opt for the subtle ‘cereal cosmetic’ story that I reckon dorset tells, however: Here in The Netherlands Albert Heijn’s private label goes for cartoon naiveté instead, charming but less valuable. A window on a bowlful of product is not ownable, as demonstrated by the Euroshopper plastic bag that comes in at a quarter the price of dorset.

Takeout: The lesson here is to understand that it’s the full story behind the design that is the consumer benefit, and not assume that the simple feature of a window on the product is the story.

Working on a Heinz brief from the designer’s perspective is dominated by one question: How should I use the distinctive but sometimes overbearing tombstone (sorry, ‘keystone’) device? How much of it do I need to use to make it mean something? Better still, to make it mean the right thing? (Ok that’s 3 questions.)

No point checking the brand guidelines, the brand is way too diverse to have any meaningful do’s and don’ts. So when we want established, expert Heinz, we’ll have the whole thing please, complete with triple keyline to protect our secret recipes. And for the cute, cuddly side of the brand, let’s have a soft, round-cornered, vignetted partial version, set at a restful angle. Both work for me. The sticky-uppy horizon version looks a bit severe here on the previous ‘breakfast’ design, but I’ve seen it work a treat on cans.

Takeout: Highly diversified brands need flexible identity systems to function optimally in diverse categories. To do this whilst remaining true to the brand’s core identity is possible, despite the lack of literal consistency.

Those tried and trusted metaphors of crisp, clean taste (condensation and chrome) are present in spades on this new Grolsch pack from the Dutch market.

Both these packs also offer some structural innovations for ever more convenient storage and retrieval. ‘Fridge pack’ and ‘Mini Crate’ are fairly prosaic descriptions, but a ‘Cool meter’ on each can sounds like it might be worth talking about down the pub, a clever trick for a drink at home innovation.

The balance between this ‘new news’ and the branding is very different on these two executions, and for me (grey) synergy is just about beating (red) interruption, bearing in mind that when spending close to €10 we can assume some level of engagement.

Takeout: Promotional messages should be part of any brand’s identity system, not reinvented every time there’s a new offer.

I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again. Big brands shouldn’t use massive food shots because it invites comparison at the product, not brand level, and private label can easily make a great food shot too.

So Maggi should have a simple design with a confidently-placed, neither too big nor too small brand logo, some nice typography, a warm background drift, and that’s it. Then again for anyone thinking about what to make for dinner tonight, these mouthwatering shots provide the answer, and I don’t think I’d want to burst that bubble by not buying the presentation guide that this pack provides.

Takeout: Damn, another rule broken!

Despite being a pack format that people don’t actually buy (unless they’re having a very big party for really healthy kids), our banana box for Chiquita still enjoys an iconic role within the consumer landscape.

That’s because it is the storage box of choice for many market stall holders and car boot sale afficionados, and now I’ve told you that you’ll start seeing them everywhere. Search the web and you’ll find an entire subculture making art from Chiquita boxes, something we hope our new design will further encourage. Available now, and free at your local supermarket.

Takeout: Your outer packaging can be an asset in brand-building, even if you think no-one sees it.

Here’s a creative twist on the muesli pack window epidemic sweeping the world since dorset made it so fashionable. It could have been done better but the lack of finesse might just about be excused as part of the ‘positioning‘ (though I’m not buying that story in this case – the crudeness of the house shapes adds nothing).

The ‘story’ here leaves me wondering a bit about what’s going on inside these dwellings; I can only assume everyone lives upstairs!

Takeout: OK it doesn’t make sense, but the world also likes funny stories.

Literally translated, my title for this work for famous Dutch dessert brand Mona is ‘tastily untidy’, with assorted typefaces and diecuts suggesting good old-fashioned sweets like Grannie used to make (in the seventies, naturally).

As well as this, the lack of obvious design system puts any thoughts of factory production to the back of mind. Two portions of nostalgia, then: Yummy!

Takeout: Rigid design systems are good at ‘premium’ and ‘effective’ (for example) but not great at ‘joy’ or ‘love’.

The UK loves its ready meals, mainly because people have to work so long and commute so far that cooking has become a weekend leisure activity, not something you can do every day. Marks & Spencer made the ready meal respectable decades ago, but now all mainstream food retailers sell the idea of dining out at home.

Both Tesco and Carrefour manage to convince me they can deliver good taste here, though on closer inspection the French haven’t yet caved in to the concept of a one plate mish-mash; you still have to choose the ‘ingredients’ and present them properly.

Takeout: You can tell a lot about a nation by its ready meal packaging!

About time I commented on the brand that inspired the blog masthead. An iconic pack shape and graphic design means the brand can play all kinds of games with its consumers, blissfully ignoring the people who don’t get it. Really pushing the envelope here with its ‘Extra Old’ version drawing on cognac design language, Marmite challenges its fans to keep up. We accept.

Takeout: if your packaging is iconic, your innovation horizon (for products and communication) expands.