Good Versus Poor Brand Design

Fruit Snacks… little bits of fruity goodness all wrapped up in yummy little packages.  Which one is the best?  Real Fruit, Real Fruit Juice, Made From Concentrate, All Natural or No Preservatives. I guess it really depends on…………… the packaging.

In fact, when it comes to fruit snacks it’s all about the packaging. You don’t believe me? Take a look at the nutrition facts from these major brands.    

 

 









 

As far as nutrition is concerned all fruit snacks are pretty much the same.  Therefore it stands to reason that manufacturers of fruit snacks can not tactically claim to be healthier then their competitors in order to gain the following of their customers. So they are forced to revert to dirty yet brilliant tactics only possible in advertisement.  

And that my friends is where the house divides.   On one hand you have fruit snack companies that appeal to the parents and on the other you have those manufactures who appeal to the children of the parents. 

For this assignment we were to find two representations of design, one good design and one poor design that exist on a level playing field.   Since I am a father of three boys, I am going to side with the fruit snack packaging that appeals to children.  

So lets begin with boring and grown-up packaging campaigns of Sunkist and Welch's fruit snacks.  They focus on the healthy, nutritious and vitamin packed opportunities that parent have to give their children something fruity and nutritious.  After all, as parents, we know that ANYTHING that has pictures of real fruit on it HAS to be healthy and good for our children.   

Another trick these company's use to entice the parents to pick their fruit snacks are muted and natural colors.  Look at the Welch's Fruit Snack Box below.  Even the words "real fruit" are a muted color.  

Another reason I think Sunkist and Welch's go with healthy appeal versus character appeal is for branding purposes.  

Both Welch's and a Sunkist are known for there fruit-based beverages.  Therefore parents already associate them with health and are less likely to question the validity of what they see on a box.

However...
WHAT KID WOULD CHOOSE THE BOX ABOVE WHEN IT IS SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO THIS??? 

Now keep in mind that there is no nutritional difference between Farley Ninja Turtles fruit snacks and Welch's.   

This box is AWESOME! What boy would not want to rip open this box and partake of its yummy, gummy goodness? 
The colors used are different then the ones used on the Welch's box.  These colors are vivid and pop. They catch your attention and draw you in to the fantasy that can exist in every box.  

Look at the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They all have taken up defensive positions on the box. Almost like they are ready to defend the gummy inside.  THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING!!!!  No longer are you just an average shopper in a grocery store, but you are now part of Shredders evil army fighting the turtles. Trying to get into their hidden underground sewer lair in order to eat them.  

 

YES I SAID EAT!!! Look at the gummy characters.  They are the Turtles, Bebob, Shredder and Rocksteady. 

 

The next part of the box I would like to point out is the dark green, upside down triangle.  It's really an arrow that guides parents to the grown up message. "Made with real Fruit Juice". Also, do not forget the "FAT FREE" message on the lower right corner. 

The last point I want to make is the placement of the boxes on a shelf; it is very strategic.  

Look at this example.

All the fruit snack boxes that appeal to children can be found at a child's eye level.   While the fruit snacks that appeal to the parents/grownups are in either on the very top or very bottom.   

I could not find proof of this research, but based off of my experience with my own children, parents are more likely to give in and buy fruit snacks with cartoon and superhero on it while shopping with their children than while shopping alone.