Sophisticated packaging sells store brands

Packaging for store-branded products continues put distance between its early “generic” non-designs and today’s sophisticated and stunning packages, as evidenced by the winners of the 2014 Store Brands Packaging Awards competition. The winning packages made their debut last week in a display at the PMMI pavilion at FMI Connect 2014, which took place June 10-14 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.

Judging for the competition took place on April 17 in the editorial offices of Store Brands magazine. After boosting my energy with a hearty sandwich from Jimmy Johns, the staff of Store Brands magazine put me and three other judges to work.

Hours later and after some lively discussion, we agreed on the winners (see them here, along with the judges’ insightful comments for each winning package/line).

The judging gives me an opportunity to see some of the best packaging designs for store brands in one place at one time, which makes it fairly easy to discern some trends. Here are the trends I see in packaging for store brands this year:

1. Contemporary fonts are easy to read and, somewhat surprisingly, appeal to all generations (that is, they attract new, younger consumers without alienating loyalists).

2. Designs leverage a brand’s heritage but meld it with contemporary packaging designs. This takes advantage of the brand’s longevity with relationships with its consumers, while showing it cares enough to keep the packaging fresh and convenient.

3. Improved shoppability with label architecture, fonts, colors and stunning photography show a concern for the consumers’ time in the store, as well as acknowledgment of the reality of crowded shelves. This is especially noticeable with families of products.

4. Ownable colors differentiate on shelf and take many product presentations up a notch. For a great example, see the plnt herbal supplement line, which won a Gold Award in the Non-Foods category.

5. Ingredients in photography for foods and beverages speak to the quality of the products and counter the earlier consumer impression that store brands were “lesser” than national brands when it comes to the ingredients. See the Western Family Premium Tortilla Chips package, which tied for a Gold Award in the Shelf-Stable Foods category.

Click here to see how the packaging trends for store brands this year compare with 2013.