Reinvented for a new generation of juice enthusiasts, Frucor's McCoy juice got a makeover to keep the brand at the forefront of premium shelf stable juices and juice drinks. But the reworking of McCoy did raise vexing questions most marketers will face when managing established, performing brands; do you transform the brand to stay ahead of the curve? Or do you evolve incrementally, or not at all, so as not to lose what made the brand successful in the first place?
It is all very well to talk transformation when a brand is broken, but what if it is still market leading? Most marketers would opt for evolution, but not for Frucor Beverages and Dow Design with their new branding and packaging for the McCoy juice range.
When Frucor and Dow ran the ruler over the market and the existing McCoy pack, it seemed the foodie revolution had bypassed the juice aisle. Consumers were trading down in shelf stable juices and juice drinks, or even out of the category, not seeing the value in the more premium options, and why should they? The juice aisle hadn't evolved at the same rate that foods had and there was a need to bring exceptional design and premium appeal to the shelf.
The McCoy brand was far from broken. The tall, elegant prisma packs and the simplicity of the single fruit colours had managed to keep McCoy's head above the others in the category for more than ten years.
But according to Dow's Creative Director, Donna McCort, "The category was becoming more confusing, which wasn't helping McCoy. The juice aisle lacked some of these authentic food cues. So we took the single fruit essence of the brand, and injected it with sophistication and craft. Hence the black background, the real, still life quality of the fruit and the natural splashing juice that although transformational, cues authenticity and remains true to the real McCoy."
The commitment to authentic food values is more than packaging deep. A prior partnership with leading New Zealand celebrity chef Simon Gault had proved that McCoy was the perfect match for the foodie culture. To link in with that, recipes have been introduced on the back of packaging in the new design, giving consumers creative new ways to use their favourite McCoy product.