Elements Design Adds Dimension To Perennial Favorite Pez Brand

The Pez brand is known the world over as much for its tasty candy as for its novelty dispensers, and the popularity of both never seems to wane. Over the last couple of years, however, Pez Candy Inc. sales jumped 17% thanks to new package designs created with the help of Elements Design in New Haven, CT.

Many years had passed since a major update of Pez packaging, and it had become flat and dated, as had its other marketing materials. The design directive was simple yet sweeping: "Bring the brand into the 21st century." The challenge was in creating a completely new and up-to-date look that would both stand out and be instantly recognizable to Pez's legions of loyal fans.

Amy Graver, Elements' president, says the previous Pez designs had a two-dimensional "Schoolhouse Rock" look. Elements added three-dimensionality through playful scenes and characters, further enriched by strong color combinations in the package designs. "We highlight the whimsical personality of Pez," Graver says. With no style guide for Elements to draw on, Pez management was impressed with how well Elements understood the candy category. "We've asked the right questions," says Graver.

"Moving away from the larger design firms we had traditionally used was not any easy decision," notes Bud Damberg, director of marketing at Pez. "While we were already familiar with Elements' creative capability, we were very gratified by their capacity to comprehend and then implement our vision."

Elements drew its inspiration from the brand's whimsical nature and its colorful and iconic shaped candies. The new color palette leveraged many of the familiar hues of the company's most popular flavors. Improved graphics that playfully posed the character-based dispensers added a lighthearted attitude appealing to young consumers.

The Christmas, Halloween, Valentine's, and Easter seasonal packages succeed with deep, colorful, and fanciful holiday scenes. The whole Elements marketing strategy gives Pez a consistently strong presence at retail. "The salespeople were thrilled to come in with something new," says Graver.

Peter Vandall, v.p. of sales and marketing at Pez, is impressed with the response. "The stores know the sell-through is very good," says Vandall. "What we do is not dramatic, but you really have to tie into what the consumer trends are." Vandall adds that Elements even provided cost savings in packaging and display production.

Elements recommended several practical improvements. For example, shippers were reconfigured from the company's traditional single 24-piece to twin 12-piece units. Retailers prefer the freedom to display two of the company's many product lines, making it easier to match local preferences.

Vandall also likes the closeness of how Pez and Elements work together—both philosophically and geographically. Being just 10 miles down the road in Orange, CT, Pez appreciates Elements' responsiveness. "We're always rushing them at the 11th hour, and they respond at 11:30," Vandall says.

Pez also became more aggressive in their licensing lines, such as Winnie-the-Pooh, Madagascar, and Ice Age 2. Again, strong color palettes and three-dimensional illustrations make the packages pop. "The challenge is to flex our creative abilities and work within licensor requirements," says Graver. Elements has the design production process down pretty well now, where three new Pez design ideas are presented, feedback is taken, a final mockup is made, and then approval is nearly always granted.