thoughts

American Influence

by Marcus Hewitt and Simon Lince, reprinted from Design Week.

In most surveys of the world’s best recognised brands, you’ll often find that US brands always top the charts. Marcus Hewitt and Simon Lince explain why this is, and in the process highlight the differences in branding and packaging we experience this side of the Atlantic The US uses brands to root American society and forge a common history. Americans do not have the history and heritage of cathedrals and palaces (or even pubs) built in the 17th century or the legacy of centuries of nobles. Therefore, Americans are forced to forge their traditions every day. Their royalty is Hollywood; their architecture is brands.

Americans often value using the same brands as their parents and grandparents and seek to strengthen emotional ties through shared experiences.

In contrast, the British value brands for their innovation and progress, taking the UK beyond its entrenched culture. These opposing views of design’s role as a cultural force account for the radically different faces of packaging in the US and in the UK.

In the US, major brands still dominate shelf space and market share in many product categories. American brands seek universal appeal. The McDonald’s that you pull into in Minsk is just as familiar as the one on Exit 57 of the New Jersey Turnpike. Consistency and recognition are the name of the game. US consumers value honesty and quality at a fair price. Americans trust their brands.

The size of the American consumer market makes change difficult. The diversity of news outlets paired with the highly regional nature of supermarket chains dictates that brands focus on a singular consistent message. Main Street, US, varies across the country. While a New Yorker may shop at D’Agostino’s and Duane Reade, a Southerner would turn to Piggly Wiggly and Eckerd. Add in the predominance of local papers and the waning popularity of the major networks and it becomes increasingly difficult to saturate the US market with new branding messages consistently. Consistency in package design helps to mitigate the fluctuation of advertising throughout the country.

In contrast, the UK is populated by a bevy of smaller brands that are constantly changing. Consumers in the UK look to brands to help define their individual style and designers strive for the freshest, hippest look. Because of the diversity of brands in each category, it becomes difficult for a brand to ‘own’ a particular product benefit.

As a result, many British brands rely on projecting an attitude and evoking a particular sensation. Due to the fact that there have been fewer media outlets in Britain, there is more consistency in advertising exposure throughout the UK so brand changes can be communicated more easily.

While the British might view many US brands as slightly stodgy and old fashioned, there is great value in this honest, simple communication. The Campbell’s soup label and the Hershey’s chocolate bar wrapper are classic examples of the straightforward and unchanged packaging that lines American grocery shelves. Brands like Campbell’s and Hershey’s root their marketing in the heritage of their brands. Part of developing traditions is maintaining a constant image expressed through packaging. While the advertising trends and slogans may come and go, American packaging remains tried and true.

Classic US packages do occasionally find the need to update. Too often, though, overused devices such as ribbons and banners are used to ‘add quality’. Ubiquitous ribbons adorn packaging for everything from Lipton’s easy dinners to Glad’s trash bags. British packs are more likely to use a unique idea or humor to create an indelible image. And many brands seek to liven up your day by making you chuckle or smile. British packaging helps to shape and define the consumer. Store brand packaging leads the way, in marked contrast to its American equivalents. However, in a constant quest to innovate, British pack designers often sacrifice the personality forged by weathering several decades, so risking becoming transient and even superficial.

Americans are loath to tamper with the established norm, especially if it has proven successful. However, a European influence can be found in the marketing and packaging campaigns of some US brands including the Target department store. Target has employed designers such as Michael Graves and Mossimo to enliven its in-store brands and followed through with an equally inventive ad campaign.

Grocery aisles are the runways of British packaging design - an opportunity to showcase innovation. The streamlined approval process that accompanies a pared down marketing hierarchy contributes substantially to the UK’s facile adaptation to and creation of marketing trends.

While the impending recession will most likely further entrench American companies in their tried and true packaging, the British are more likely to continue to change in order to stimulate sales. In truth, a recession could be the perfect time for a brand to consider a redesign to stimulate new interest.

Many smaller US brands have seen the light and demonstrated a willingness to go out on a limb creatively. Fresh Samantha juices feature a whimsical cartoon character illustrating the benefits of her wares – from a boost of Vitamin C to a “Protein Blast.” The packages are humorous with more of a grass roots quality than most mainline US brands. Similarly, Newman’s Own food line – with products ranging from pasta sauce to salad dressing – takes a unique approach, featuring Paul Newman’s face on every bottle, invoking the heft of Hollywood endorsement just as some British brands depend on their links to royalty.

British packaging design has traditionally been subject to more outside influences due to its proximity to Europe and the creative product of its neighbours. The US is more isolated, serving as the dominant producer of graphic design on this side of the Atlantic. However, the increasingly global consumer culture may erode at this isolation, forcing American companies to consider more significant change.

Marcus Hewitt is managing partner and chief creative officer and Simon Lince is senior vice-president and creative director at the Sterling Group.