I almost missed a huge opportunity to make the Absolute Organic range show up as a family rather than a single product on shelf.
Let me explain:
When I was at Eco Farms back in 2016, we started the Absolute Organic rebrand, a project triggered by a few reasons, including one feedback from a major customer:
👉 “The products need different colours so we can have more of them in store.”
At the time, we decided that the solution was to give each product a different colour for the top wave behind the logo.
So we got started, and something felt off.
I couldn’t quite articulate what, but we went along with it.
After a few months into the project, an incredible art director came in to deliver their presentation about our brand.
They looked at what we were doing… and said, very plainly:
“You should not do it this way. You should not have a different colour behind your brand for each product. This is wrong.”
It was painful to hear it, but he was right.
By changing the colour background at every pack, we were actually missing a massive opportunity.
One we couldn’t see at the time.
It was the brand blocking opportunity we had, and you can see the difference for yourself on the reference mockups and comparison below.
Colour blocking is one of the most powerful tools for retail.
It can be used either for a brand categorisation, or a category categorisation. Sometimes both.
Once we understood that, we reviewed the costs, and it was still in time to reverse the decision. I’m still thankful for this advice 😅
We started our own colour block, our own Green Pantone, and got more noticed at the stores, known by some customers and distributors as the “Green wave”.
The change was a success!
This technique can improve shelf presence for any category, you just need to build that block and design your packaging on purpose, viewing the repetition.
When the product family sit together on the shelf and shares the same strong brand colours, they don’t read as one single product anymore. They are a family.
And in retail, the more SKUs and facings on the shelf a brand has, the stronger and more reliable it is perceived.
If you are building a retail brand, remember these:
👉 Don’t miss the opportunity to own your brand colour and the shelf space.
👉 Let your range work as a family unit, not as individuals.
If you need help creating that kind of impact at the shelf, let’s chat about how we can make it work for your brand.
