Design: Ghirardelli's New Package Looks For Brownie Points

- Becky Ebenkamp

The idea: Ghirardelli has taken some heat from trusted homemaker Betty Crocker when it comes to being the best-selling brownie mix. To stay competitive at retail after Betty banded with Hershey's for its baked goods, Continental Mills decided it needed to play up its rich, indulgent, premium chocolate ingredients on its Ghirardelli packaging. Despite its high-end feel, it also wanted to still come across as accessible to the average brownie buyer.

The consumer: Design firm Philippe Becker Design, San Francisco, conducted research to learn more about the average brownie buyer. What it discovered was a category that ranged from "10-for-a-dollar" value brands to the ever-popular Crocker. "Many people said they went to the store to pick up the red 'Crocker' box because 'That's what my mother made,'" said Rick Jansen, project director for Philippe Becker. Additionally, he found that consumers associated the Ghirardelli name with dark chocolate, even though the brand makes milk chocolate too.

The challenges: The first step was to simplify the package. Over time, new elements had been added to the box, and while these tweaks were said to have coincided with some sales spurts, they weren't doing the existing design statement any favors. The firm wanted to lighten and brighten the look of the package to "get past the big blob of chocolate" of the original design. The Ghirardelli logo presented some challenges; while it stood for "premium brand," it wasn't as playful as the Betty Crocker Spoon or the Pillsbury Doughboy. (Oh, and to complicate things, not one but two clients needed to OK designs: licensee Continental Mills and Ghirardelli Chocolate itself.) And finally, since the brownie category is so commoditized, the firm felt it was important to play up aspects that would really "pop" on packages, which are sold in mile-long aisles of mixes. "Once people get past the brand names, it's really just about flavor," Jansen said. "And there were lots of things we could do to trigger that."

Why is this significant: Through a circuitous route that explored a half dozen different design treatments, Continental Mills, Seattle, decided on a brownie box that mimics the old packaging. However, version 2.0 is more appealing and easier to locate on shelves, consumer research has shown. Set against a rich—but not too dark—brown background, individual SKUs such as Caramel Turtle and Ultimate Fudge are communicated by color-coded ribbons. "Everything was competing with itself on the first package," Jansen said of the original design. "It may seem like we went a long way to get here . . . but now, 'Brownie' is definitely the first read." bebenkamp@brandweek.com