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telltale signs it’s time for a PACKAGE REDESIGN WRITTEN BY DAVID SCHUEMANN
hether you’re a boutique producer or a multi-million
market where you may be able to shift your brand for better
case global brand, the time will inevitably come for a
performance. A redesign can help your brand stand out from
package redesign. For better or for worse, market success simply
the crowd, stake a better position in your category and stave off
doesn’t allow for stagnancy – it demands change to keep up with
brand challengers.
trends, to expand product lines, and to maintain engagement with consumers.
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Sales are lagging.
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Poor brand architecture with unclear tiers.
I can’t tell you how often I see this! If your consumers can’t
This may seem like a no-brainer, but often brands are hesitant
tell the difference between your $100/bottle “icon” tier and your
to invest in a new design when sales are lagging due to reduced
$20/bottle nationally distributed tier, it’s time for a redesign.
cash flow. Many companies wait too long to make a change,
While this may be an extreme example, many brands encounter
allowing their brand to lose more market share, key placements
similar challenges as they add new SKUs or tiers within their
and consumer loyalty to competitors.
portfolio. New tiers or SKUs can infringe upon existing product
A new package design can provide a number of benefits:
offerings and cannibalize sales. Retailer discounting can further
• Reinvigorating
distributors
and
salespeople
with
something new and exciting to talk about.
exasperate the issue by pricing higher quality offerings too close to less expensive products in your portfolio. A package redesign can provide clear delineation between tiers. Better yet,
• Refining or redefining brand positioning; restaging the
packaging that appears more premium than your price point can
brand to compete more effectively against competitors.
help stave off discounting by retailers by building inherent value
• Signaling existing consumers that you are investing in the brand and creating shelf-pop that can attract new consumers. A little bit of brand “buzz” goes a long way.
into your packaging. Start-ups would be well advised to develop a carefully considered tiering strategy as they map out their product lines for launch and future plans to avoid issues later.
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New competitors have entered the marketplace.
As new categories become more popular and trendy, more competitors will by vying for a piece of the action. Start by doing
Setting appropriate SRPs and making sure that your brand packaging fits the promise associated with your target price point is crucial to evoking value in your brand and gaining customer acceptance.
Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) of your competitors and
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your own brand. This will provide you a more complete picture
Perhaps your brand has recently garnered high scores from
of your brand’s current landscape and help identify gaps in the
critics, or you are increasing the quality of your product. This
a market audit of your competitors and a SWOT (Strengths,
You want to increase price.
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