Huntsman enter the Rugby Super league

Now I don't want to seem like a one trick pony and write about similar products twice in a row but it is Christmas and therefore booze is important, is it not?

Earlier this week it was Stella Artois and today I turn my attentions to the No.2 bitter brand Tetley's, owned by Carlsberg UK.

Most marketers will look back on history and find a point of reference that they can clamp onto, and heres theres.....Paul Davies, director of brands at Carlsberg UK says "The Huntsman signifies quality and heritage. In many ways he never went away - but he is now back: front and centre again where he belongs.”

Now to be fair they did use the Huntsman for over 50 years so it is a significant part of the brand - but heres where I get confused. Back in 2000 at the height of the anti hunt movement Tetley's dropped its traditional huntsman logo and all marketing focussed around Rugby league, so much so that they had a rugby ball logo, sponsored the Leeds Rhino and the subsequent Super league they play in.

To move a brand away from upper class elitism (however tongue in cheek) and move into northern grass roots territory is fine but surely there is no way back when you decide to change your mind, are we as a consumer that forgiving???

To a point maybe we are if they had truly gone back to the Huntsman we know and love, the one where he has a cheeky face and a wry smile. I always thought that he could be your Grandad who won a few grand on a scratch card and forced his way up into upper class, the sort of stuff that feels aspirational yet warm and cosy. That however is not the case. The new logo has a Faceless man (although he does resemble Patrick Moore) in a potato print silhouette with a regimented type, a simplified version of the old rugby ball. The brand logo now has everything prim and proper, like a well ironed equestrian jacket. The brand now belongs even further up the elitist chain, yes it will retain existing consumers but i'll watch closely about the new wave of Bitter drinkers particularly when Bombardier and the No.1 Brand John Smith still serve the working class Britain, the crux of Bitter drinkers.

Taking all that to one side I really like the design for 'Original Bitter' it feels clean and the lines are well polished. wpaPINFOLD use the brand colours well and create a British twinge, everything feels fresh and the product has a sense of warmth . The consumer can easily work through the architecture of the pack,  I like the signature stamp of approval that finishes the Can nicely. 

I'm very disappointed with the Smooth Flow variant, everything that worked on Original now no longer works.  The flowing lines completely violate the brand mark and off kilt the signature, it feels like a kaleidoscope of design..have we entered the twilight zone. I think the design budget had run dry when they got into this secondary variant, which is a shame as there is a shimmer of light associated with the 'Original' despite my reservation for the new approach.

I therefore love one design and hate another, isn't that what is great about design, it's so subjective.

I'm sure there must be pages and pages of research for Tetley's new position and packaging, research i'd love to see but for now the results will be proven by whether the top line increases, we are judged on the immediate after all.

19th December 2011
Since launching this review of Tetley's I mentioned that they'd be judged on top line increases. I have just picked up The Grocer Top Products Survey 2011and I can confirm that Tetley's Smooth Flow is up 22% thanks to both promotional activity and packaging refresh...there you have it.

Packaged, wrapped and slightly opinionated