3 Examples of Packaging Redesign Gone Horribly Wrong.

Media constantly bombards Americans with messaging, encouraging us to reinvent ourselves. Supposedly, it’s never too late to start over or define a “new you,” whatever that means. While this may be true for folks in the self-help industry, packaging redesign companies know that reinventing ourselves can be difficult and disastrous if handled poorly.

This doesn’t mean you should give up on your product packaging redesign. Sometimes, adapting to new packaging design trends leads to greater consumer interest. In this article, we will discuss why redesigns go wrong, provide mainstream examples of redesign failures, and provide steps to creating a winning package redesign.

The Risk of a Packaging Redesign

There is something exciting about taking existing packaging and giving it a new life. The excitement often blinds decision-makers from the reality that original packaging may outperform a more current packaging approach.

There are many reasons a packaging redesign can lead to lower on-shelf performance.

1. Loss of Brand identity: There’s an assumption existing consumers will endlessly search for the most well-known product. But it isn’t the name alone that creates brand recall, it might be the imagery, packaging shape, or slogan that consumers remember. Testing which brand elements we must carry forward to a redesign is critical for brands with existing market share.
2. A Change in Product Messaging: Redesigns often introduce updated sales copy. Changing your product messaging without testing how it affects the buyer consideration phase can unexpectedly lead to a loss of interest.
3. Colors That Conflict With Consumers: It’s not uncommon to see an established product have brand colors less current than current. While we agree that a brand’s visual identity is important, not always must your brand match the latest design color pallet. Your new color scheme may confuse loyal customers where they associate the product as entirely different from the one they previously purchased.
4. A Style That Doesn’t Fit The Customer’s Expectations: Just as a 60-year-old should consider their decision to match the fashion style of a teenager, a brand should be considerate of their age and appeal. This doesn’t mean you cannot include current design trends, but a brand must determine if the new look leaves its customers confused by the change.

Now, let’s see if we can connect the reasons reinventing a package design fails with real-world examples by some of the most recognizable brands.

+48PT

Innovation

Increase in purchase preference.

increase in purchase preference through pouch modifications that solved consumer frustrations and a winning big idea to help transform Kool-Aid from a low-cost product in the KSSB space into a fun and engaging brand experience for modern households.

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Tropicana’s Redesign Goes Rogue

Perhaps the most famous example of a beverage packaging redesign meltdown is the infamous rollout of Tropicana’s new, decidedly more modern look in 2009. After only two months on the market, the juice giant quickly scrapped the redesigned product packaging after seeing unit sales drop 20 percent in a short time. The new packaging represented the brand on supermarket shelves.

This case is notable because of the brief window PepsiCo gave the new packaging to take off and the shocking sales dip experienced following the new packaging‘s debut. For these reasons, packaging design companies must be exceedingly cautious with these types of dramatic redesigns in order to avoid disastrous results.

Customers spoke with their wallets that they would not tolerate this packaging design mistake.

The collapse of a monopoly?

Monopoly is arguably the most well-known board game ever and certainly a uniquely American diversion. Hasbro’s Monopoly brand is so popular that nearly every American can name his or her signature “piece.” But whether you’re a Scottie Dog kinda guy or a Top Hat gal, you might have walked right past the nearly unrecognizable Monopoly package that hit shelves in 2008.

The design catered to urban, young adult customers. It aimed to rebrand Monopoly as a pastime best enjoyed among yuppie friends in condos with lovingly installed faux vintage details. Ultimately, this look didn’t garner a monopoly of market shares and is rarely spotted except for thrift stores.

Monopoly’s product packaging would look great in a throwback 1930s-style establishment, but how big is that market today? Maybe as a poster in a classic car garage, but not in the homes of middle-class families.

32%

Design

Increase in purchase Intent
with millenials.

Our data-driven design process creates category-winning packaging that not only looks great, but also sells.

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Sierras in the mist?

You may not have had the displeasure of ever seeing the packaging abomination of the swampy, fuzzy Sierra Mist lemon-lime soda can that hit shelves in 2009-2010. If you missed it, count your blessings. This packaging redesign by Arnell, the same firm responsible for the disastrous Tropicana redesign, fail mentioned above.

What could be worse than changing your brand image to one that makes it impossible even to read the label? It wasn’t long before PepsiCo scrapped the blurry can, which included a deliberate “misty” look to the product title. Worse, it presented a creepy and off-putting background depicting what we think the design team meant to be vines, creating a “natural” origin for the product.

Those vines ended up looking more like veins. The newly designed had a look that might appeal more to Frankenstein’s monster than customers looking for a refreshing, clear, caffeine-free, naturally sourced beverage. As if the blurry font and oddly vascular background weren’t enough, what’s with the vertical orientation that further confuses the eye?

We’ll give this green goblin a “do not resuscitate” and hope PepsiCo doesn’t venture further into this type of packaging design down the road. Better yet, maybe they should rethink who they hire when redesigning packaging.

The Takeaway

Look, we understand the desire brands have to reinvent their images in order to reposition themselves in crowded markets and reach new consumer demographics. But sometimes, these risks alienate loyal consumers or confuse them so much they overlook the unfamiliar product packaging on retailers’ shelves.

When considering a packaging redesign, brands should use smart market research and skilled packaging designers to get the best bang for their branding bucks. With great risk can come great rewards, but brands have to walk a fine line between reinvention and alienation of loyal consumers.

$350M In Annual Sales

Positioning

We helped them becoming the leading gaming beverage in the market.

Our strategic repositioning propelled G Fuel to $350M in annual sales, transforming it from a niche supplement into the top energy drink for gamers.

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The Right Way To Go About A Package Redesign

There are three steps to creating a winning package redesign. We can repeat these three steps more than once until the point of diminishing returns.

Packaging Redesign Strategy

Collaborative expertise between the brand and a packaging design agency creates the right design environment for redesign ideation. Unfortunately, this is where most brands stop. Once the agency and brand agree, they expedite the product to market. Sadly, unless they hit the jackpot, the result is stagnant or receding market share.

Packaging Redesign Testing

Bringing in the consumer allows brands and agencies closer to true purchase intent. While focus groups and surveys are a good start, there is a distraction between what consumers say and what they do.

SmashBrand’s testing process removes subjectivity, biases, and inconsistent desires. We create a simulated buying environment where consumers take on-shelf actions to determine true intent.

Packaging Redesign Iteration

Finding the wins across many designs, brands should continue the redesign process by iterating each of their winning preliminary designs. Through package design iteration, you get a more profitable package design.

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