Adelaide Study: Redesigned Packaging Risks Brand Recognition
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- Dr. William Caruso of Adelaide University's Ehrenberg-Bass Institute led a study concluding that successful packaging redesigns must boost perceived modernity while protecting distinctive visual elements like colors, logos, and layout that consumers rely on for recognition.
- The research, published in Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, found 58% of marketers cite modernization as the main purpose of their most recent packaging redesign — yet Caruso warns firms should only modernize when pack likability has measurably declined.
- Tropicana's 2009 redesign, which replaced its signature orange-with-a-straw image with a glass of juice, drove sales down 20% — roughly USD $33 million — within one month, forcing the brand to revert to the previous design.
- Bahlsen's 2021 contemporary redesign earned a global D&AD award yet saw sales fall approximately 12% and cost the brand category leadership in several markets, demonstrating that industry acclaim does not guarantee consumer acceptance.
- The study surveyed primary household shoppers in the United States and the United Kingdom, and is among the first to investigate packaging modernization as an integrated construct linking familiarity, likability, and purchase intent.
- Caruso recommends firms use Distinctive Asset Testing to evaluate brand identification before major redesigns and rebuild familiarity through communication if distinctive cues are altered.
Why it matters: For the 58% of marketers who redesign packaging primarily to modernize, the study delivers a counterintuitive message: stripping distinctive visual cues can erase the very recognition that drives purchase. Tropicana lost $33 million in a month and Bahlsen lost category leadership despite winning a D&AD — both after removing the visual shortcuts shoppers used to find them on shelf.
