Package Design - December 2013 - 32

FIELD NOTES

Banishing Boring
Can this quirky approach to
vegetable packaging spice up
consumers' perceptions of a
product category?
THE PRODUCT
Love Beets aims to defy preconceived notions of boring
beets, which the founders Guy and Katherine Shropshire
describe as the kind your grandmother would serve, with a
modern brand and tasty products that will attract beet lovers and beet newbies.
This mission helped inspire the brand name. "Consumers have a love it or hate it relationship with beets," George
Shropshire, vice-president of marketing for Love Beets,
explains. The product name specifically calls out to those
who "love beets."
But the brand wants to make the humble root vegetable
approachable to those new to beets, he adds, especially
among women aged 27 to 59. So the folks at Love Beets
gave the brand a quirky and playful personality-complete
with smiley faces and a heart-shaped logo.

The logo design is more than just a fun shape. It also
links the brand with heart health-reminding shoppers of
the product's heart health benefits without preaching to
them.
Did Package Design readers swoon for the lighthearted
package design or do they think the branding is off beat?

THE VERDICT
Smashing fun-quirky approach to a root
veggie that by nature does not lend
itself to be included in the fun category
of life! Why take life so seriously when
it can be fun? The name sets the tone
and the emotional engagement of
being good for you-done by infusing
the message in the heart icon-along
with a fun attitude is attractive.
Let's face it root vegetables are boring
looking. Simple, clean and not overpromising is what it is all about. Way to
go Love Beets!
Toni Marnul, creative director at Reynolds
Consumer Products

Embracing an obscure ingredient drove
Aveeno to billion dollar status. While
Love Beets is an intriguing concept, the
visual strategy needs work before it can
match Aveeno's oatmeal trick. For example, is the brand color pink, black or
beige?
32

DECember 2013

pack-types: They look and feel like three
different brands.
With effective use of social media and
possibly some in-store signage, the "fall
in love" legend could create some serious
interest in the product. [Editor's note:
According to Love Beets, there's a belief
in many cultures that if a man and a
woman eat from the same red beet then
they will fall in love.]
Tom Newmaster, partner at William Fox Munroe Inc.

A consistent impact across touch
points is the first step to make Love
Beets memorable in a crowded
landscape.
Philip Hague, director of product experience at
Webb deVlam

Overall, I like the packaging concept,
and anything that adds some life to this
particular category is welcomed. I do see
a brand disconnect between the three

The pink Baby Beets packaging with the
heart-shaped die-cut will definitely
entice consumers to pick up the packaging and examine the beets through the
window. The windowed and transparent
packages clearly convey freshness. But I
think a serving suggestion or appetite
appeal photo would work better to attract
new consumers who have never tried or
eaten beets before like me. PD
Marie Buck, independent packaging design
strategist

Package Design - December 2013

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