Brand Managers - Don't Miss Out On a Great Opportunity to Update Your Brand

By now you know that new nutrition label changes are just around the corner. You may have a good idea how they will impact your redesign, and you may be considering that opportunity we presented in our last article.

Turn This Opportunity into a Brand Facelift.

Most brands hesitate to make modifications because they want consumers to have a recognizable face for the products they buy. Brands may fear losing market share, and this is understandable. We certainly don’t recommend doing this lightly. Which is why you need to start by asking yourself, are there some missed opportunities in your packaging that you should revisit?

Let's Talk About Your Packaging

Get Noticed in The Aisle with Impactful Improvements

Branded face-panel graphics can discreetly and surgically evolve with strategic planning and good, professional advice. The key is for this evolution to show a great improvement of the established look, not simple alterations that don’t add anything to the brand. Years ago, we saw brands “enhancing” their looks by… wait for it… adding drop shadows. To everything! True, we still do that — but there are so many other ways to enrich the look of your brand’s face.

Keep a Redesign Manageable.

A redesign can be overwhelming, especially if you have many new ideas. But this is an exciting process, and new packaging and printing technologies have opened new possibilities that previously weren't available. The key is to look at your packaging holistically and in the context of your brand messaging. Rather than taking it one product at a time, refresh your entire product line. This doesn’t mean you’ll need to change everything. For example, you could leave the prime visual and brandmark area completely intact while increasing the readability of the primary or secondary descriptor in subtle ways. Or perhaps your positioning or value proposition has evolved? A new design could make room for a strategic violator or call-out. Look at the changes through the lens of marketing strategy.

Reserve Your Free Package Design Evaluation Today

Regardless of the Deadline, Start Planning Now.

Twenty years ago, Orca Design Group helped many national brands usher in the last major nutritional panel upgrade. We saw most companies fall into two groups.

One group decided there was plenty of lead time and waited until the last moment to make critical decisions. Rushing through as they faced press and production deadlines, they hampered the process with hasty decisions. Not only did they have little time to spare, they had to settle for whatever decisions could fit within the last-minute scheduling.

But many other companies embraced the upgrade as an opportunity to make strategic changes across all their lines. They started the process early, planned well and allowed plenty of time for solid decision-making. They enabled themselves to make good branding choices.

Prime Opportunity for a Brand Evolution.

Now that you’re being forced into all-new packaging anyway, the possibility of making key improvements to your branded products is here. Maybe an opportunity for a strategic brand evolution? Call us to review your product line and help you determine how your packaging will upgrade to the new nutrition label. Based on our packaging evaluation of your product line, we’ll make recommendations that are aligned to your brand goals. We'll help you consider all the possibilities. www.orcadesigngroup.com

Update: On June 13, 2017. it was announced that the major upgrade to the nutrition labels on our food has been delayed. Those changes were supposed to happen by July 26, 2018. The FDA said it would give companies more time to make the shift. The agency did not give a new deadline.

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Larger Label Footprint Opens Door for Design Upgrades to Existing Packages

As we discussed in the last post, you have until July of either 2018 or 2019 (depending on your company size) to implement the new nutritional label changes that the FDA is mandating. If your company runs like a well-oiled machine, you’re probably thinking, “We’ve got this!” You’re not sweating it because you think your R&D or compliance department is on top of it. Your printer may even be telling your purchasing department that it’s a simple black-plate adjustment they can easily handle. Everyone is breathing easily because the change looks like a cinch. As a brand manager, however, you can’t sit back and let the R&D or compliance folks worry about it. Because if you are, you’re letting an opportunity slip through your fingers.

Update: On June 13, 2017, it was announced that the major upgrade to the nutrition labels on our food has been delayed. Those changes were supposed to happen by July 26, 2018. But on The FDA said it would give companies more time to make the shift. The agency did not give a new deadline.

New Multi-Serving Labeling

But first let’s look at specific changes that will impact many beverages, snacks and the like. First, the FDA is requiring a serving size recalculation, so the serving size is based not on what “people should consume” but on what they actually do. Soda, for example, will have a new serving size of 12 or 20 ounces, depending on the bottle size, instead of 8 ounces. Next, the FDA is adding a requirement for “certain products that are larger than a single serving but that could be consumed in one sitting or multiple sittings.” These are packages that contain two or three servings but could be consumed in “one sitting. For those products, a dual-column is being introduced. One will list calories and nutrients per serving and the other, per package or unit. If you have to make those types of changes — and even if you don’t — this is where that opportunity comes in that we mentioned above.

Let's Talk About Your Packaging

An Opportunity to Refresh Your Product Packaging

Think about it. Every single SKU will need a new label. As you’re evaluating the impact on your label or package, this is your chance to refresh your packaging and really dial in your existing brand messaging. How often does that occasion arise? You could try out new violators, change the cooking instructions, or add a recipe or illustration to the back panel. Maybe you didn’t consider the power of the back panel when you first launched your product. There are so many ideas that can make a back panel stand out, from photos and recipes to serving tips and enhanced illustrations. You can look at your back panel real estate with new eyes.

Reserve Your Free Package Design Evaluation Today

Make the Label Overhaul Work for Your Marketing Strategy!

As you can imagine, this kind of process takes some thinking and time. Which is why we said earlier that you really don’t want to keep this on the back burner — or let the decision rest with R&D. Get started now, especially if you have an extended product line. Give us a call for a free evaluation of your packaging and we’ll review your options. Your best course of action needs to be based on your brand goals as well as reflect your brand messaging in the best light.

Update: On June 13, 2017, it was announced that the major upgrade to the nutrition labels on our food has been delayed. Those changes were supposed to happen by July 26, 2018. The FDA said it would give companies more time to make the shift. The agency did not give a new deadline.

Call Us Now 253-405-6330