Asda Smart Price - Smarter way to spend your money?

Earlier in the month I reviewed the much anticipated M Savers range by Coley Porter Bell.
Coincidentally another large retailer with the help of another prestigious design agency are also relaunching their value range.

Step forward Asda Smart Price by Elmwood.

My immediate reaction is that both Asda and Elmwood understand the role that a value range should play. In another article  'Is there any value in brands' I expressed that 'Supermarkets very rarely show their own brands in advertising but by talking price I believe they subconsciously drive consumers towards their value ranges.'  Asda currently have their 10% price promise and I would defy you not to see the Smart Price range jumping back at you. There is a direct correlation between the Master brand promise and the value range.

Moving onto the design, we see that it is more of an evolution than a rebrand, the colour ways remain and the architecture is very much keeping with the previous design. The major change being the creation of a new logo. 

I feel that this is the right step for the brandmark, moving away from the italic to a bold and clearly defined font. The logo feels like it is in keeping with the zeitgeist of our time. During global recession it's important to create clarity and distinction in the market place. Consumers will immediately understand the value proposition of this commodity brand and what it represents. Asda are backing up their price guarantee further with this rebrand. I do have an issue with the choice of two greens, one being cold and the other warm. I know they are still trying to create a parent and sub brand tier but the greens are too close to do anything other than conflict. This is the same issue I had with the Twinings redesign.

Because the hierarchy of pack and colours are generally consistent across the entire range, the consumer knows where to look and how to navigate the aisles, a big plus for a value proposition. The pack has a nice balance between being seen on shelf but not causing undue embarassment in the consumer trolley.

From a supply chain perspective Elmwood could have and should have been smarter with the number of colours used, although the range portfolio of colours is low enough to run back to back printing. I can also see some inconsistencies in the use of a serving suggestion - the multipack dip selection has photography whilst the mint sauce doesn't. A truly great execution would not have these inconsistencies and for that Elmwood needs to be marked down.

I personally would make that Asda 1-0 Morrisons, Elmwood 1- 0 Coley Porter Bell.

03/02/12
Here's value for you. Asda have introduced the 7p VAlentines Card