Red Hot in Freezer Aisles

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Red Hot in Freezer Aisles

Notice anything different at your supermarket recently when you were strolling down the frozen foods aisle? Did a splash of fiery red in a sea of cool colours happen to catch your eye?

It must be Wattie’s®. New Zealand’s favourite brand has refreshed its frozen food range – all in the name of maintaining its competitive edge and adapting to changing consumer requirements.

In response to a Wattie’s brief, Auckland brand design agency Dow Design, has provided a facelift design for 50 frozen Wattie’s® products – including vegetables, fries, wedges and meals.

Designer Annie Dow says the motivation was a pack design that reflected the tastes and the shopping habits of a different generation.

“We believe there is a perception amongst consumers that frozen veges are not as nutritionally valuable as store-bought fresh veges.

“They also see the freezer section as a cold and less-welcoming venue in the supermarket. We wanted to correct these two perceptions. As market leaders, it was up to Wattie’s to take the initiative and lift the image of the category.”

So, why red?

“While red is the traditional colour associated with Wattie’s, it had not been used across the whole frozen food range and we wanted to achieve consistency. Red is warm, visually strong, bold, impactful, dynamic and energetic.”

Other changes to the packaging include a new landscape bag format, improved printing and the use of serving suggestions to give more appetite appeal as well as prompting meal ideas.

Wattie’s Frozen Business Manager Jo Davidson is delighted with the new design as part of the overall strategy driving the frozen business.

“The feedback has been really encouraging - the sales team and trade response has been glowing. Most importantly, consumers have had only positive things to say, which we are starting to see translate into even more healthy sales figures.

“The product looks fantastic in the freezer and it really stands out from other products in the frozen section.”

Dow Design is a key brand design partner to Wattie’s and has been working on Wattie’s’ designs in New Zealand ,in the frozen, canned fruit and vegetables, babyfood, cooking sauces, tomato sauce, mayonnaise and spreads categories for almost a decade.

Dow Design has offices in both Auckland and Melbourne. The company has won numerous awards for its work locally and internationally - the most recent being three wins at the prestigious international Summit Awards held in the USA in April.

Dow Design was also a finalist in the esteemed New York Festival Awards.

ENDS

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