International Delight Cleans Up its Package Design

Published in Brandweek
Design | April 2009

by Becky Ebenkamp, bebenkamp@brandweek.com

This brand of coffee creamer used to spill, sputter and drip. Now it simply sweetens.

The idea

The plan: WhiteWave hired Fairfield, Conn., agency Product Ventures to rethink its bottle package design for an operation that was dubbed, “Fix it now!” Stylistically, the silhouette was given a more Euro-modern package design  look to go with its name. But, fixing the functional flaws came first so that the brand could compete with Nestlé’s Coffee-mate in store fridges (and stay upright in domestic ones). The package also was designed to withstand the entirely unnecessary shake test. International Delight doesn’t need to be mixed, but people do it instinctively. So, a “safety” feature assuages fears of christening their kitchens with cream. “It makes an audible ‘snap’ when it shuts,” Product Ventures CEO Peter Clarke said of the psychologically soothing sound.

The results: The new look and smooth pour immediately yielded positive results. The design, which is still rolling out, is responsible for a 3 to 5 percent unit growth, and a $1 million a year savings in production costs. Even the critics seem less jittery. Bynum said, “Now we’re seeing three praises for every complaint.”

THE FINAL PACKAGE DESIGN
From gripes to grips: Even the indentation was a highly considered decision. Contrary to conventional thinking, consumer research indicated that people pour creamer at the counter, so the notch placement was ergonomically correct for someone standing. “‘You designed it for me,’ is how I’d paraphrase what people tell us [about the new design],” Bynum said. “It’s a lot about having coffee your way.” (more)