General Mills License Work

The Challenge

Ice cream brand Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream was developing the highly-anticipated crossover of the decade in their new line of ice cream flavors, directly inspired by General Mills cereals like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms. With this much brand firepower behind one line of products, it was crucial to properly capture and communicate the brand elements of both companies into a powerful product design strategy.

With an opportunity to introduce an innovative product line to a wider consumer base, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream brought on The GRO Agency to design the packaging for their new line of General Mills cereal-flavored ice cream products.

Our challenge with the General Mills product packaging was to translate the essence of the brands so that they were instantly recognizable to the shoppers, while also appealing to a slightly older consumer base.

The Solution

In the cereal aisle, brands rely heavily on mascots and kid-friendly illustrations, whereas ice cream products typically aim toward an older crowd and require a heavier focus on appetite appeal. For the Dreyer’s-General Mills packaging, the brand elements were distilled down to its key components in order to strike a balance between the competing consumer expectations.

First, to maintain the brands’ recognizability among consumers, the product packaging showcased the playful attitude and nostalgia of each respective brands, with an intentional focus to eliminate any seemingly juvenile aspects. By focusing on the brand design elements and omitting the cartoonish mascots, the package was instantly recognizable and easily targeted the whole family.

Then, by incorporating the bold use of color and a design system built for flexibility with plenty of room for the brandmark to play, the packaging truly brought life to these classic brands within this new space. Stylized bowls in the language of the respective brands helped bring the design together as a unified whole.

Finally, the appetite appeal was a key part of the overall success of this packaging. To get that right, live product photography with high-quality photo-illustration created delicious scoops that genuinely encapsulated the richness, texture, and flavor profile of the ice cream product.

Services

Packaging Design
Adaptation: Full Portfolio
Packaging Production
Photography
Point of Sale

Let’s Talk,
You Know
You Want To

First Name*
Last Name*
Email*
Country*
Message*
Newsletter
Sign up to get the latest consumer insights, marketing advice and insider tips.
Privacy Policy*
I agree to the privacy policy.
captcha

Outshine Innovations

The Challenge

Frozen fruit bar brand Outshine was branching their product portfolio in all different directions – not just new flavors and sizes, but also forging their way into new aisles and categories altogether. Along with their widespread variety of sub-brands and SKUs, Outshine needed to resolve shopability issues that began to result from flavor confusion and hierarchy issues within their established brand.

With an opportunity to improve their in-store shelf impact and expand their brand presence, Outshine tapped their long-time partner The GRO Agency to update their brand messaging and refine their product packaging across a growing number of lines and sublines.

Our challenge with the Outshine product portfolio enhancement was 1) to maintain consistency across the full portfolio, while still differentiating within it across sub brands and forms, and 2) to create strong brand recognition outside the frozen aisle where the brand is not typically encountered.

The Solution

Consumer tastes and preferences led the decision to boldly update, organize, and prioritize Outshine’s messaging and product expansion. Inspired by the brand’s core message, GRO helped Outshine develop and introduce new flavors, sub brands, product innovations, forms, and formats of their beloved frozen fruit bar – even outside the frozen aisle.

First, new flavors and formats of Outshine led the way, with their Organic line appealing to the health-conscious shopper and the Half-Dipped bars for the chocolate lover. Fruit & Cream bars brought a new texture to the table, while the Tajin line added some spice to the line-up. Outshine and GRO are still partnering on more flavors to this day.

Next, as a bold leap from the frozen food aisle, Outshine borrowed from their existing design and messaging hierarchy to introduce their shelf-stable smoothie category and snack categories. Remaining recognizable to a loyal shopper, these new products clearly articulated what made Outshine special in the frozen aisle, just geared towards a fresh audience.

Finally, to satisfy all the different ways that consumers interact with the Outshine brand, whether a personal snack or a party treat, GRO helped Outshine introduce new size variations and pack sizes, such as the ‘club’ size. With an organized brand messaging around the core brand identity, Outshine was free to expand their product lines as they pleased, without the confusion.

Services

Packaging Design
Adaptation: Full Portfolio
Packaging Production
Photography
Point of Sale

When we needed to expand our brand outside of our traditional aisle, we turned to GRO. The team at GRO brought expertise and creativity to the project, and were the quintessential partner throughout.

Sarah Holley Manager
Product Innovation Nestlé USA

Let’s Talk,
You Know
You Want To

First Name*
Last Name*
Email*
Country*
Message*
Newsletter
Sign up to get the latest consumer insights, marketing advice and insider tips.
Privacy Policy*
I agree to the privacy policy.
captcha

General Mills License Work

The Challenge

The Solution

Services

Let’s Talk, You Know You Want To

Outshine Innovations

The Challenge

The Solution

Services

Let’s Talk, You Know You Want To

Let’s Talk,
You Know
You Want To

Let’s Talk,
You Know
You Want To