Kraft to copycats: Catch us if you can

Kraft to copycats: Catch us if you can

Telling the innovation story about the Philadelphia cream cheese packaging redesign in Europe is Etienne Barbier, associate director, chocolate packaging, research, development & quality.

"We revitalized our Philadelphia packaging in Europe because we saw that our traditional, rectangular pack had been copied over the years by competitors and private labels alike. We wanted to be distinctive again.

"The previous design hadn't changed significantly in many years-so finding a new winning concept for consumers with a leading brand as Philadelphia was a big challenge. We worked with an outside design agency to help us to define the basics—like shape, functionality, consumer cues—and to figure out a way to deliver superior design without an overwhelming cost.

"Our team challenged itself and decided to look more broadly at the concept, including the production process. Working closely with internal and external partners, we developed a concept far superior to the old one that made business sense. The business is up significantly since this new package introduction and Kraft is evaluating where is we can leverage technologies like this across the globe.

"The new design has a unique, nice smooth oval shape, excellent membrane peeling and in-mold labeling. What's more, it has a recloseable lid that clicks to tell consumers when it's closed-and that keeps the product fresher. The new design let us keep the same pallet utilization and some new sustainability benefits. In total, the project took about 18 months, what is a landmark for a project on this scale and complexity."

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