Mondelēz International has partnered with the New York office of brand design agency Bulletproof to refresh the packaging and visual identity of one of America’s most-loved candy brands,Swedish Fish. Bulletproof was appointed to the project following a three-way pitch in July 2015.
Swedish Fish arrived in the USA in the late 1950’s as an import from Sweden and over the years, this fish shaped candy has become entrenched in US candy culture with a fiercely loyal following. With the last redesign carried out over thirty years ago, the brand was looking tired and old fashioned and lacking relevance for the modern consumer. Bulletproof were briefed to modernize Swedish Fish with a bold design that would clearly communicate its lighthearted, witty personality and the new brand positioning, ‘Positively Unexpected’, while maintaining and strengthening its core equities.
As part of its strategic design process, Bulletproof developed the ‘Legendary Fish’ creative platform that focused on the fish as the hero of the pack, with his one of a kind taste and texture, making it the soft and chewy superstar of the candy aisle. A bold wave adds visual punch framing the brand mark, while being evocative of the product’s juicy and delicious flavour and the scales have been modernized creating an ownable, textural pattern.
The new Swedish Fish brand mark is a fresh and modern take on a retro classic with the unique fish equity encased in the branding, to guard against copycatting. The typography maintains some of the old school naivety from the previous brand mark and has been updated to give it more appetite appeal with embossing to portray the dimensionality of the product.
Commenting on the design, Bulletproof said: “The quirky soul of Swedish Fish and the one-of-a-kind red fish product have endeared the brand to generations of candy fanatics. As the competition has intensified at shelf, the intrepidly iconic brand found itself lacking the cut-through stature it needed to engage fans both old and new. Working from the brand’s new ‘Positively Unexpected’ brand positioning, we sought to restore this giant of the candy world to its rightful heroic status. To get us there, the packaging had to keep the quirk of the Swedish Fish brand alive while amplifying its visual punch. The final concept, ‘Legendary Fish’ shows a glimpse of our classic fish being hurled (somewhat uncomfortably and unwittingly) by a dynamic blue wave. This bold badge shouts out the refreshing flavour of this soft and chewy star and puts the spotlight squarely back on the brand.”
Kalshelia Lloyd, associate director at Mondelēz International said: “Swedish Fish was failing to breakthrough in the cluttered sea of candy on shelf and needed a bold design that would help it stand up to the big fish in the category. Bulletproof have worked seamlessly to deliver a fresh and contemporary design with real personality that will appeal to a whole new wave of candy consumers and make the brand win both on shelf and in the hearts of consumers.”
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