- re: cheetos — i don’t get the new packaging either — i agree there’s a big disconnect between the chester character and the rest of the packaging — are they targeting kids and young males who think chester is cool or are they targeting adults who are interested in food quality?? — i would think the former so why not go all out and make the entire package fit the character personality??!

- re: “a company has to decide whether the new design trends fit the existing consumer perception of the brand” — it seems the goal of both of these redesigns was to shift consumer perceptions, so i don’t think it would be as important to fit existing perceptions as it would be to take care not to alienate existing customers — also, i bet the folks at silver hill would argue they did have existing equity to take into consideration — regardless, i do agree, less may be more and there’s a fine line iconic brands undertaking redesigns must be careful not to cross

thanks for your comments!

I’m not a design expert either, but a company has to decide (like Wonder?) whether the new design trends fit the existing consumer perception of the brand before making such drastic changes to packaging. Silver Hill can pull off the change and take better advantage of trends because consumers have no brand meaning/equity against which to measure the new design.

What do you think?

I think that your conclusion is right on that a redesign should matter, but this does not necessarily mean that more changes make it matter more. There should be a valid reason to the redesign, and if that can be accomplished with less changes that works as well.

Although I feel Silver Hill has created more relevant packaging with a distinct identity, Wonder Bread is a historic brand with significant equity which they should not jeopardize with new packaging. Remember Tropicana?