River Ranch to roll out redesigned 'Popeye' line
River Ranch to roll out redesigned 'Popeye' line
No Wimpy allowed. No Olive Oyl, Swee'Pea or Nana Oyl either. Just Popeye.
Salinas, CA-based River Ranch Fresh Foods has decided to pin its hopes on Popeye's massive forearms by introducing a repackaged line of Popeye Fresh! Foods using Popeye's image only.
Unlike the old packaging, the redesigned packaging will allow the consumer an ample view of the product inside the bag. There's also a new color scheme and consumer-friendly descriptions of product that make it easy to understand what's in the bag and how the product is used.
An example is the wording on its baby spinach kit bags that reads, "Complete Baby Spinach Kit" followed underneath by the words, "Includes tangy bacon dressing and croutons." There have been no additions or deletions of items in the product line. River Ranch will introduce the repackaged line at the Produce Marketing Association's upcoming Fresh Summit, to be held Nov. 4-8 in Atlanta. The line will go into full production Nov. 28, said Leslie Tripp, River Ranch's director of marketing. The timing coincides with River Ranch's harvest schedule in El Centro, CA.
The packaging design currently on store shelves has been in use for the five years River Ranch has had the Popeye license. "This is the first major overhaul of the design since getting the license," Mr. Tripp said. "It was time to update."
In 2004, the Popeye character celebrated its 75th anniversary. That year, River Ranch also embarked on a mission to better understand its own brand, Mr. Tripp said. "We followed consumers from the refrigerator to the supermarket to see what they bought and how they shopped," he said.
River Ranch Vice President of Marketing Bruce Knobeloch said that the company's research opened its eyes to "so many design attributes we could improve," and that the design changes "were based on feedback from over a couple thousand consumers."
River Ranch's research indicated that the "Popeye" brand name resonates with consumers much more so than its packaging. But even then, the research suggests a lack of consumer recognition of any brand. "Name recognition in produce is low," Mr. Knobeloch said.
Consumers make a connection between the "Popeye" brand and healthy eating and an active lifestyle, Mr. Tripp said. So while Popeye adorns each bag with his prominent forearms reaching out to grab consumers, his image doesn't dominate the packaging. The new logo sports orange and green colors. Speaking to The Produce News in early October, Mr. Knobeloch said, "So far, feedback [on the redesign] has been very good with retailers."
There is much room for growth in the "Popeye" line and in the overall bagged salad category, Mr. Knobeloch said. Whereas salads were once thought to be just a side dish, younger consumers now are more apt to think of a salad as the meal, he said.
Salinas, CA-based River Ranch Fresh Foods has decided to pin its hopes on Popeye's massive forearms by introducing a repackaged line of Popeye Fresh! Foods using Popeye's image only.
Unlike the old packaging, the redesigned packaging will allow the consumer an ample view of the product inside the bag. There's also a new color scheme and consumer-friendly descriptions of product that make it easy to understand what's in the bag and how the product is used.
An example is the wording on its baby spinach kit bags that reads, "Complete Baby Spinach Kit" followed underneath by the words, "Includes tangy bacon dressing and croutons." There have been no additions or deletions of items in the product line. River Ranch will introduce the repackaged line at the Produce Marketing Association's upcoming Fresh Summit, to be held Nov. 4-8 in Atlanta. The line will go into full production Nov. 28, said Leslie Tripp, River Ranch's director of marketing. The timing coincides with River Ranch's harvest schedule in El Centro, CA.
The packaging design currently on store shelves has been in use for the five years River Ranch has had the Popeye license. "This is the first major overhaul of the design since getting the license," Mr. Tripp said. "It was time to update."
In 2004, the Popeye character celebrated its 75th anniversary. That year, River Ranch also embarked on a mission to better understand its own brand, Mr. Tripp said. "We followed consumers from the refrigerator to the supermarket to see what they bought and how they shopped," he said.
River Ranch Vice President of Marketing Bruce Knobeloch said that the company's research opened its eyes to "so many design attributes we could improve," and that the design changes "were based on feedback from over a couple thousand consumers."
River Ranch's research indicated that the "Popeye" brand name resonates with consumers much more so than its packaging. But even then, the research suggests a lack of consumer recognition of any brand. "Name recognition in produce is low," Mr. Knobeloch said.
Consumers make a connection between the "Popeye" brand and healthy eating and an active lifestyle, Mr. Tripp said. So while Popeye adorns each bag with his prominent forearms reaching out to grab consumers, his image doesn't dominate the packaging. The new logo sports orange and green colors. Speaking to The Produce News in early October, Mr. Knobeloch said, "So far, feedback [on the redesign] has been very good with retailers."
There is much room for growth in the "Popeye" line and in the overall bagged salad category, Mr. Knobeloch said. Whereas salads were once thought to be just a side dish, younger consumers now are more apt to think of a salad as the meal, he said.
