M Savers - Value for Money?

Morrisons and Coley Porter Bell (CPB) have almost finished the largest rebrand of 2011.  The purpose of the rebrand is to increase market share of their own label offering, presumably both in house and from the other major Mults.

Included in the rebrand is a new name; M Savers, not to be confused with Superdrug Savers.
I presume this has been done to clearly communicate the brand message, but it is nothing more than a distraction on the packaging and a new buzz word floating around head office.

We are told that 'The new designs confidently express the Morrisons brand with an iconic charcoal grey roundel bearing the letter M in white'. There is nothing iconic when  you have just created it. To be iconic it must be instantly recognisable, which to do so would need to be yellow and green.
We know however that this would add two extra colours to the packaging, a big no no for value packaging.

Dieline states this is a Beautiful example of a two color packaging for a value product line!
I presume they therefore are counting grey and the main spot. Not all of the packaging will come in a white substrate (look at the fairy cakes below) so instantly we need to add a white. there will also be a black for the barcode and eyemark. Now if the rest of the range will not be made from CMYK and a spot per packaging that will be 350 colours added to your supply chain complexity and a big pat on the back from Sun Chemicals. I would guess all these pieces are on average anywhere between 3 and 4 colours. This would explain why we now have an 'Iconic' grey roundall.  I'm very surprised CPB have created a range introducing over 350 colours when the existing has a total portfolio of 2 core colours.

Moving onto the illustration I have reservations. This style is very now, something which value ranges don't necessarily chase, the reason being is that when this trend finishes and is no longer cool, it's very expensive to change. I feel that Morrisons are already behind, this style has been around for sometime and roll-out is scheduled over the next 18 months. Even one of the Mult already does this style....
Packaging will have moved direction before the range has even been fully implemented. 

I can tell that Morrisons have done a lot of research about what we as a consumer wants.
CPB state "Research shows that consumers are often ashamed to be seen with them. But with the economy stalled for the foreseeable future, value ranges will be competing on more than just price. We wondered why shouldn’t entry level products have some charm and engagement?”
The problem with research is that it is based around the questions asked, ask the wrong questions and it doesn't matter if the answer is right.

My personal opinion is that i'm never ashamed of the basic print on value ranges i'm ashamed of the block colour and it's always been block white that makes me go most red.  So whilst the design is quirky on some levels it still going to be hidden at the bottom of my trolley, albeit not as obvious as the yellow and green of current.

Question: Does the M Savers Bitter look charming or cheap?

I'm going to put my hat in the ring and say that this new design will perform worse than what is currently on shelf. For a range of products that is all about price it's important to get noticed, something that the existing design does in abundance.

16/1/12

Since going to press I have been back into store and can confirm my worst fears, the new brand does disappear into the background. Now is the best time to review the packaging as it currently sits alongside the old yellow and green design, which for all it's flaws does stand out on shelf.  Another point worth noting is that some of the packs struggle for relevant imagery. I saw kitchen towels with an electronic mixing bowl, nappies using a dog and jam victoria sponge using just raspberries on pack. I think the consumer is going to struggle to navigate the aisles for the M Savers range and even when located the consumer may not be clear as to what the packaging represents. Most decisions are made in the blink of an eye.

I have written a secondary follow up blog to help explain the strong viewpoint expressed here. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Is there Value in Brands

21/1/12

Asda have now redesigned their value range see how it compares to the Morrisons M Savers range

Smarter way to spend you money

31/1/12

Now that the full range is in store I've reviewed whether this has made a difference to my viewpoint.

25% up, down or inconsistent