Private Label Makeover, Whole Foods, Target, Safeway Prove Personality Is King.

The future of private labels belongs to a new crop of innovative designs that stand out from the competition and not meek wallflowers like traditional store brands that rely on pricing and mimicry of national labels to attract customers, says designer Philippe Becker.

Successful private labels bear their own personality, define a distinct point of view, and create a memorable experience, says Becker, Creative Director of Philippe Becker Design (PBD). He points to Whole Foods Market’s 365 Brand as an example. The bold, four-color logo grabs attention in the grocery aisle and the image communicates nature and everyday value. “If you look around the marketplace, there are many retailers with brands that fade into the background,” said Becker. “In the current world of private label, there are much more effective ways to market store brands. And one of the most effective tools is developing a strategic and extensible approach to label design.”

PBD has developed three best practices for designing successful private label brands:

— Stand for something and communicate it on the package. By offering a unique point of view, stores can raise the status of their label beyond that of leading national brands and increase consumer loyalty to both the private label and the store as a whole.

— Use package design to clearly define the family of brands and their relation to each other. Packages that contain mixed price and quality cues lessen the effectiveness of the brand strategy. Unclear branding can undermine the perceived value of the entire range of store labels and turn away confused shoppers.

— Connect with customers. The label has about three seconds to grab a shopper’s attention and tell them what and why. To accomplish this, the brand must be immediately relevant and differentiated. Becker advises using designs with strong personalities that appeal to consumers.

“The goal behind innovating your packaging is to have consumers seeking your brand because you’ve connected with them, convincing them that you’re fulfilling a functional need or an emotional benefit,” said Becker. Evidence from the marketplace indicates this strategy is working. From Safeway to Trader Joe’s to Target, consumers are filling their carts with products bearing this new style of innovative branding. In the grocery aisle, most of this shift is occurring with a fraction of the marketing dollars Proctor & Gamble, Kraft or Unilever put behind their products. Beyond selling more products, a successful store brand strategy has the potential to transform a supermarket from just another place to buy groceries into a desired shopping destination.

For more information at http://www.pbdsf.com.