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Do I Cook or Clean with This? Designing Labels that Match Consumer Expectation

By Roberta Rosenberg on Jul 7, 2008 in Uncategorized

What were they thinking department …

I’ve been swamped by client work, still mourning George Carlin, and decided to enjoy a few days off with the hubby and family), hence the extra days of silence from your favorite Maven. But, as in all things, life and grocery shopping continues on. And it was at the supermarket that hubby and I came upon an unfamiliar item in the Organic/Healthy/Soy-Tacular aisle.

It’s called Bragg’s Liquid Aminos. Now I don’t know about you, but at first read and glance, I’m thinking cleaner. Not hard to see why either. Here’s an image of Ajax scouring powder.

Yes, the Bragg’s label uses vegetables at the top but they’re obscured by the text. Speaking of text, I’m still thinking cleaner. All-natural could mean anything in today’s rush for eco-friendly everything. Even Clorox, the king of bleach, has an all-natural line now (kudos to Clorox as I like the stuff and it works great.) Also, too, being of a certain age, I remember detergents that used aminos as a selling point for its super-duper cleaning ability.

Bragg’s people take note. The folks who know you, love you. But if you’re looking to get new folks to love you, your product has to look like something I want to put in my mouth, not pour on my dirty clothes.

Here’s another one I don’t get from the good folks at Nabisco.

Why is the “Garden Herb” text on a red banner? It should be green. It used to be green. Then when they introduced “Roasted Garlic”, they made that banner green and revised the Garden Herb in red.

Big mistake. Green = garden, veggies, earth, etc. (Bragg’s, are you still with me here?) Consumers, as all copywriters know, don’t really read. They scan, they “see” text first for meaning. I read “Garden Herb” but because it’s on a red banner, I don’t see it as herb. I see it as something else. Hot, spicy, peppery or maybe tomatoey. But herb? Nope.

This means I have to hunt more carefully for my favorite snack cracker because it doesn’t automatically pop out at me as before. This means some other company might get my attention first because they’re still using the color combination I and other consumers expect for out cracker fix.

As copywriters, our job is all about the words. But as marketing partners with our clients, we have a chance to broaden our influence on how our words are managed and their impact. Knowing how to speak knowledgeably about design issues is one way to ensure our meaning and the message don’t get lost.

So, by all means, pay attention at the supermarket. And please, read the labels before you eat - or clean - anything.