Generic vs. Premium Brands
Ritz & Oreo new packaging next to the old and Lunchables current packaging
Have you noticed your favorite premium brands looking more and more like generic brands? We started noticing around January that there were changes here and there, but now it’s everywhere. Is this in response to the economy – are premium companies thinking you’ll remain loyal to them if they look cheaper? Some redesigns are tastefully done. Like the examples shown on IDY Creative’s blog from January 27th. The same blog touts a what-were-they-thinking moment for Tropicana, with a link to a New York Times article detailing the rise and fall of the PepsiCo subsidiary’s package rebranding. I didn’t know it was possible for package design to jump the shark, but since the time of IDY’s January 27th post Ritz has, and sister snack Oreo was not far behind. A redeeming package design aesthetic for parent company Kraft Foods, Inc. is the latest version of the Lunchables package…now if they were only more earth friendly.
