Historically house brand packaging has been sad to look at. It’s as if shoppers were being told, “You want it cheaper than the national name brands, then don’t expect us to spend any money on pretty wrappers.” Increasingly, stores are concluding that packaging that looks inferior to national brands present a missed marketing opportunity. Instead of communicating value, it gives bargain-hunting shoppers the impression that the merchandise inside is just as shoddily produced.
Target Corporation is changing the perception of store-brand products. Through packaging design that is on a par with national name brands, its Up&Up line, which encompasses 40 product categories from sunscreen to trash bags, looks less like a generic choice and more like a special private label selection assembled exclusively for Target shoppers. In addition to giving this line of products its own brand name, Target has replaced the familiar bull’s eye logo on the package with a big colorful arrow. The distinctive packaging has given Target’s house brand greater shelf presence, and the fact that Up&Up products tend to be priced about 30 percent less than brand-name equivalents make them formidable competitors in every category.
This branding is such a great improvement over the previous generic packaging. It makes me excited to shop and it's why I spend a few more cents to go to Target instead of Walmart.
I agree. Also, Walmart's new Great Value branding looks horrible. I feel like a beggar buying stuff who can't afford the real thing when I carry items with their packaging; not like I'm a savvy shopper. God job Target.
Oh yeah, I forgot all about Walmart's new generic branding. Is it already in stores because I haven't even noticed it (which says something)? Even though it's boring, it is much better than what they had before. It's at least better than Kirkland Signature.
It's great in this economy that you are willing to pay a couple more cents for packaging that ends up benig thrown in the trash anyway. As for me, it's hard enough to make ends meet and feed my kids. I'll substitute a pretty package for a lower grocery bill any day. For me, it's not really about how pretty the packaging is but how quality the inside is. But that's just me.
The trend toward improving store brand package design has been underway for the past decade, driven by such store marketers as Safeway, Wegmans, Costco, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Target's design effort is, like much of what Target does, much better thought-out and more comprehensive than other brand lines. Target has always been masterful at consistently applying brand identity, which is apparent on all of their Up&Up products. Store brands are gaining market share in the current recession, so expect to see more store brands overhaul their package design for better shelf presence.
I couldn't disagree with the content of this article or the result of what Target has done with their “Up & Up” label more. The old bullseye logo on Target-brand items on packaging that matched its brand-name equivalent in color and design was simple and instantly recognizable. I always knew the brand-name equivalent right away and knew that I was in good (money saving) hands with the trusty old Target Bullseye. On the other hand, this new Up & Up logo and label looks completely generic, cold, sterile, boring and confuses me as to which exact brand-name it is replicating. Its like a very, very, very poor man's attempt to copy Publix branding, for whichever reason comes across much more successfully to me. Please Target — bring back the Bullseye branding!!
I am way late on this, But I have to agree with “Jesse’s” post on October 13, 2009 at 9:51 pm – This article should have been titled “Target on the down & down”. The new packaging looks so generic. I miss the target brand logo. Im glad they kept the “market pantry” and “archer farms” stuff. If those items go “up & up” too I’m just going to buy the brand name stuff. Im doing that now with the up & up – I dont buy that shit. I buy “Glad” trash bags now and “Windex” and every other thing they made into that “up & up” – its worth the extra money to me to just spend it and not have the stupid up & up logo sitting around my house until it is used up. And what really pisses me off, is they put black hands reaching for the trash bag on the trash bag box. I’m not black, and I dont want black-looking products in my home. Just like I dont have portraits of m.l.k. or richard pryor hanging on my walls. Marketing in general f-ing sucks these days. I dont know what these marketing execs “think” they know, but they really need to stop looking at the “psychology” behind shit and makes decisions based on the facts. I’ve been getting extremely choosy when buying products because of their marketing. I’ve stopped buying a lot of stuff that I used to b/c the marketing is just ass. Additionally, I called Geico for a rate quote and they were DOUBLE what I pay now for car insurance with who I’m with. And then I told them how much I paid and they told me no way. I told them to stop running all that stupid gecko busshit and money with the googly eyes on it and then maybe they can compete. What an f-ing joke. America as a whole is becoming an f-ing joke. In closing, “up & up” f-ing sucks.