Package Design | packagedesignmag.com

(August 2010) posted on Mon Sep 13, 2010

By Patrick Henry

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Like all consumer product companies, the Energizer Household Products Division of Energizer Holdings, Inc. continually seeks to reinvigorate its brand image by keeping the appearance of its packaging relevant and new. But in view of the fact the last graphics refresh for Energizer products dated to 2004, says Betsy Laakko, director of global marketing, “the time was right” for the new look now greeting battery and flashlight shoppers in stores the world over.

The new design scheme will be seen on Energizer packages in every country where Energizer products are sold, which means, says Rebecca (Becchi) Oesterle, leader of global packaging development, “pretty much every country on earth.” The principal difference will be in the brand icons: the familiar Energizer Bunny for the U.S. and a few other countries, and in all other lands, the equally well known Mr. Energizer. Except for the images of these characters, the new package graphics will be virtually identical across all global markets.

Despite the strong wish for a visual reboot—and in some of the packages, for structural changes supporting sustainability as well—Energizer’s plan to create and adopt a new visual brand identity was no spur-of-the-moment decision. In fact, says Oesterle, the project has been unfolding ever since 2007 when two brand design agencies were asked to propose concepts. Ample time was taken to ensure the designs were both consistent and consumer-validated—attributes to be certain of in a multi-product launch on a global scale.

Leahy Brand Designs provided the creative direction while corporate implementation teams were formed within the various product categories. Leahy Brand Designs, based in the Clerkenwell section of London, was established in 1992. With a team of 15, it serves clients in banking, real estate, and construction as well as in food and non-food packaging. The agency already had a 10-year relationship with Energizer in Europe when it was selected to develop the new visual identity early in 2008.

Thousands and thousands of SKUs
Tim Leahy, managing director, says that thanks to the agency’s prior experience with Energizer, “we were well up to speed with their business,” and the result was “quite a smooth project.” But he adds that despite the familiarity, the agency’s approach to the Energizer assignment was no different from its project strategy for any other client: find out what is distinctive about the client’s products, and understand precisely why the products resonate with consumers.