Refreshing Your Product's Voice through Innovative Consumer Packaging

Product rebranding is a venture into the unknown. Consumers expect your company will change over time, and that your branding and product packaging will change as well. Refreshing your product is an opportunity to recommit to your customers by giving them what they need, articulating new values and reminding customers of your existing ones, and enlivening your relationship with existing customers and new markets.

The Need for Rebranding Consumer Packaging

Your brand refresh should happen at the right time, but what is the right time? What are the key indicators that you need to rebrand your product?

• Your customers are asking for changes. Being responsive to customers should be one of your key reasons for rebranding or refreshing your packaging design. If customers are asking, respond to their needs.
• Who you are has changed. If you’re adding new products to your lineup or new areas of focus, your business may need to take your branding in a new direction. For instance, food companies that add a new, healthier line of products must redesign branding to communicate this to existing and new audiences.
• You haven’t thought about updating your brand in a few years. While you don’t need to do a brand refresh every year, it’s important to remain responsive to consumer trends in branding and packaging design.
• If you notice that others in your market are moving toward new packaging designs, colors, and logos, it’s probably time for you to consider the same. While you want to stay consistent, your brand must also remain relatable for consumers.

Key Factors in Packaging Design

When you’re rebranding, packaging design is core to that refresh. What should you consider as you rebrand your packaging design?

• Regulatory changes may influence your packaging design. For instance, if the recycling or waste disposal guidelines change in the areas where most of your customers live, you can change your design to be more easily recyclable.
• Articulated consumer needs should influence your design. If you’re getting many complaints about a specific design aspect, consider changing it. An over packaged product might receive customer complaints, leading you to a more minimalist or reusable design.
• The unboxing experience has become more important to consumers in recent years. Consider how your packaging design works in your company’s communication about your product. A box isn’t just a box: it’s a way to tell your customers who you are and give them a bonus experience.
• Brand recognition counts. Think of ways to incorporate your current logo, colors, fonts, personality, and messaging into your new branding so that customers feel that you are the same company, with a new and positive twist.

Maintaining Brand Recognition during a Rebrand

During your brand refresh, you must make sure that you maintain and grow your brand equity. Brand equity is the social worth of your brand. It’s the positive feelings that you’ve built up over many years. As you work on your brand refresh, consider how people feel about your brand. Why do they feel that way? How can you maintain that element in your new packaging design?

Use these strategies to retain existing brand recognition and loyalty during the rebranding process:

• Focus on your brand’s personality. How does it work for customers, and how can you maintain and add to this personality? For instance, if you’re known to be funny and friendly, how do you bring a new twist to this through the design of your consumer packaging and graphic design on that packaging and the product itself?
• Create a new image that retains some elements of your old one. You might use a similar color scheme or logo elements to let people know that you’re still the same company - just better.
• Talk to your customers about the change. Do this on social media, through email, and on your website. Tell them a new story about your brand and why you’re making the change. Drawing your customers into the process makes them feel more connected to the change.
• If your packaging or branding change is in response to customer concerns and needs, let your customers know. This positions you as a responsive company. For instance, if customers have asked for smaller, more ecologically-friendly packaging that is easier to recycle, let them know that you’ve listened and are responding to their needs.

Aligning Your Rebranded Product with Consumer Expectations

Consumer expectations are constantly changing, and your brand needs to change with them. You can still maintain brand recognition and integrity while realigning your product. Ensure your customer’s voice plays a role in your decision-making about branding. What are some current consumer trends, and how can your brand change to meet them?

• Environmentally-friendly practices. Consumers are looking for minimalist packaging, biodegradable packaging, and innovative plant-based materials. Reusable packaging is another customer trend: how can you make your packaging something that your customers can use rather than something that your customers will throw away?
• Cost savings. Both companies and consumers are looking to cut costs in a period of rapid inflation. This has led companies to examine their design choices in a new light, developing circular packaging solutions that result in cost savings and reduced environmental impact. Minimalist packaging also saves on transportation costs since the packaging is more lightweight.
• Playful imagery, colors, and a retro feel bring levity and joy to today’s branding. Companies are trying to evoke feelings of happiness through bright colors and busy logos.
• At the same time, minimalism is also a trend in brand refresh. Using a few colors to highlight your brand’s image and values can add a clear and simple message to your packaging design.
• Finally, integrity is core to consumer expectations. Instead of branding yourself as a company that cares about social values, show how this value is embedded throughout your product’s lifecycle.

Your product branding and packaging send a message to your customers. It tells them who your company is and what they can expect from your product. It helps them connect with and relate to your brand’s personality. A brand refresh helps you remain relevant to your customers, following branding and packaging trends in a way that reflects and communicates your company’s values. Whether you’re changing your logo, your packaging design, or multiple aspects of your company’s branding, we can help. Browse all Hangar-12 ebooks and learn from our expertise as you refresh your product’s voice.