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Putting the sparkle back into a classic
‘Just another cheap orange fizzy drink’ – that was the perception of Orangina only a few years ago. Gone were the days when this iconic global brand was associated with fond memories of French summer holidays. Its image had been eroded over the years by the use of generic large format PET bottles. A high-volume/low prices strategy had tarnished the brand’s aspirational heritage and Orangina was in serious decline, losing 29% of total brand value year on year.
When Lucozade Ribena Suntory (LSR) regained the licence for Orangina in 2014 they set about shaking up the brand. And three years on, there’s no arguing with the results.
Orangina has moved from a value brand with shrinking distribution, to LSR’s fastest growing brand. Distribution is up 38%, revenue has leapt 89% and market share is the highest in company history.
What put the sparkle back into this classic?
Clever and stunningly effective design; design that was about best practice evolution rather than radical reinvention and which unlocked Orangina’s playful personality and heritage, reawakening a forgotten icon.
The new positioning and sophisticated livery by BrandMe harnessed the brand’s equities to communicate a premium and vibrant personality. Orangina no longer competes on price, emotional value has been built back into the brand and consumers are willing to pay considerably more for the soft drink – over 60% more for in fact, in the case of their slimline can multipacks.
There’s much to learn from LSR’s design investment and its pivotal role in restoring Orangina to its iconic status and premium positioning.
Now, more than ever, design is a sound commercial investment. In an increasingly complex world where customer experience is everything, design can elicit the response you want in your consumer. It is the common denominator in businesses whose products and services stand up and out from the crowd.
At the DBA we’ve been rewarding designs that have had a tangible and measurable impact on business success for over 25 years through our Design Effectiveness Awards. In the words of one of the Awards’ judges, Dragons’ Den’s Deborah Meaden, “There’s been a huge change in the way the businesses that I deal with see design. It used to be the kind of money they couldn’t afford to spend. It’s actually fast becoming money that they know they need to spend. It needs to take priority because when you don’t have good design you don’t sell a product.” It’s as simple as that.
Take a read of Orangina’s Gold winning DBA Design Effectiveness Award entry, along with all of the Bronze, Silver and Gold winners go to effectivedesign.org.uk