Heinz unifies core products with 1st master brand refresh

Dive Brief:

Kraft Heinz debuted its first master brand identity in a move to create a more consistent look across its line of packaged foods, according to a case study by its agency Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR).
The company updated its packaging across its 20-product portfolio, from ketchup and mayonnaise to baked beans, to include a distinct look and remind consumers of the "simple greatness" that Heinz has on their daily lives. Since quietly hitting shelves in the U.K. earlier in 2020, the rebrand has reached over 32 million customers and spurred an 11% average lift in year-on-year sales volume, per the case study.
JKR helped Heinz with limited-edition packaging that celebrates the brand's 150-year anniversary and won an award for the work, according to a report in Dieline.

Dive Insight:

Heinz's new master brand is a back-to-basics strategy that aims to focus on its core pantry staple products and unify its visual identity, logo, packaging and brand strategy with a cohesive look that consumers can recognize.

Kraft Heinz in February revealed plans to increase media spending 30% to support its flagship brands while cutting the number of creative agencies it employs. The plan was to focus its marketing efforts on its strongest brands, turning around years of cost-cutting that diminished their value.

The brand overhaul could not have come at a better time. Consumers loaded up on groceries and shelf-stable products during pandemic-related lockdowns, often leaning toward classic comfort foods. Kraft Heinz benefited from this uptick in grocery shopping, seeing its first sales bump in years with 3% growth in Q1, as reported in Quartz. Now, the redesign arrives at a time when consumers are potentially more deeply contemplating their purchases. The new look possesses a more modern design, with clean lines, bright colors and a custom typeface across Heinz's core product categories. This visual refresh may signal a more cohesive strategy in the months ahead.

"We know that iconic, distinctive assets are key to enhancing the effectiveness of your brand through all channels — whether that be paid, earned or owned," Victoria Sjardin, VP of marketing for Kraft Heinz's International Zone, said in the agency's case study. "Working with JKR, we have created a cohesive set of assets that will help align the Heinz brand across all markets, uniting everyone behind the brand purpose to help deliver growth long-term."