Meijer Enhances Private Label Look

Private label brands -- and packaging strategies that drive them -- are becoming bigger weapons as retailers fight for market share. One of the latest private label revamps is coming from Meijer, the Grand Rapids, MI-based superstore. Meijer's revived private label program is part of a strategy against discount mass merchants that have encroached on its territory.Meijer has a variety of private label brands. Included is what it calls its "first label" brand, which has recently been incorporated into a category management system to better position it against the national competition. In addition, Meijer invented its Meijer Gold brand to offer consumers a premium private label product.The new graphics for the first label line are designed to look more like those used by national brands in a particular category rather than supporting a storewide brand identity. For example, chilled orange juice in cartons features a bold orange color, while labels on bottled juices match the reds within that category.The approach goes beyond graphics. Bottled juices, for example, have a rectangular footprint common to national brands as opposed to the round bottles Meijer previously used. The labels are also printed on a plastic film that national brands have made the norm in the category.In dish liquids, Meijer uses the clear plastic bottles common to the category and positions dish liquids in blue, orange and green adjacent to similarly colored national brand dish liquids.Across many categories, Meijer follows planograms that position its private label brand side-by-side with national brand products to give the private label better shelf presence. It clearly puts the value brand in direct competition with national brands. That is a strategy Walgreens has used successfully for years.Beyond the value brand, the retailer has added the Meijer Gold brand, an upscale line with packaging that reflects a premium product. Going upscale is a tactic being used by a number of retailer brands in an attempt to make the store a destination for particular products.Graphics for Meijer were developed by Daymon Worldwide Design, Stamford, CT. Two elements characterize the design. First, packaging showcases photography that emphasizes the taste sensation of the product. For salad dressings, as an example, photos show salads in serving situations. On coffee bags, photography highlights whole beans on a scoop.The other device is a gold band that runs across the top of the label or package on the Meijer Gold products. The brand name itself appears in a script type face that trades readability for the emotional impact of a quality look.Foam Dispenser Isolates Organic Hand SoapKiss My Face, Gardiner, NY, and its liquid hand soap shows how sophisticated packaging can help differentiate upscale products. The organic soap, sold online and through specialty retailers such as Whole Foods, comes in scents such as Grapefruit & Bergamot, or Lavender & Chamomile. An 8.75-ounce bottle of the hand soap rings up at around $7.The packaging helps deliver a difference with a dispenser that gives consumers a dollop of foamed soap. The dispenser is from Airspray International Inc., headquartered in Alkmaar, The Netherlands.For an organic product, the packaging is sophisticated throughout. The glossy PET bottle projects quality and the see-through front and back labels echo a technique used in a range of upscale health and beauty aid products to project quality.Birds Eye Self-Venting Tray Adds New Taste to VegetablesThanks to packaging, Birds Eye Foods, Rochester, NY, delivers a gourmet version of frozen vegetables with its Steam & Serve line. It delivers a different texture of steamed vegetables with a packaging innovation that lets steam pressure build up safely within the container.The package is a black, microwaveable tray. It is sealed with a plastic film from the Excelsior Packaging Group, Yonkers, NY. The film incorporates what is called the Steam Fast feature; it allows pressure to build up to a certain level and then vents it while maintaining a steam pressure within the package. Instructions tell consumers not to pierce the plastic film.Birds Eye uses a paperboard sleeve over the tray to carry graphics. That approach follows a current trend of using sleeves that let the visible plastic trays signal convenience to consumers.Bosch Uses Packaging as P-O-PBosch Tool Corp., Mt. Prospect, IL, sells a lot of tools through home centers. Its answer to limited floor space in that channel was to add a tag to its packaging that carries marketing messages.The tag is 12-point paperboard, a thickness found in paperboard cartons. Laminated to both sides of the paperboard is a plastic film that is printed in four-color process. The result is sell copy that stays with the tool, doesn't require any additional shelf space, and is always on display as long as there is a tool to sell.The concept, from The Bailey Group, Plymouth Meeting, PA, also follows some recent design trends aimed at time-pressed shoppers. Copy is simple with a tagline and three bullet points on the tag. The design also uses three photos showing how easily the tool can be used on jobs.Jim Peters has more than 25 years in the packaging field and is the Director of Education for the Institute of Packaging Professionals.

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