On the heels of Pepsi’s new makeover, Tropicana (which is owned by PepsiCo) unveiled their new packaging—a sleeker, simpler design that some have claimed looks generic or even “European.” The design certainly falls in line with the recent trends we noted in our last post, but there are other aspects of Tropicana’s new designs that have also caught Branding Ideas’ attention. The company’s website includes a new “Juice Finder” feature so that consumers can choose their preferred product and see what the new packaging looks like, ostensibly so that shoppers don’t have to spend too much time scratching their heads in the juice aisle. “No Pulp Original” has been changed to the more affirmative “Pulp Free” (which also brings to mind the common “Fat Free” label used on many food products), “Lots of Pulp Grovestand” is now “High Pulp,” and “No Pulp with Calcium and Vitamin D” is now the slightly more succinct “Pulp Free Calcium + Vitamin D,” etc. Consistency is vital to branding your product or business, and while Tropicana’s strategy and potentially confusing online translator feature might be raising eyebrows in supermarkets and boardrooms across the country (according to a New York Times piece, Tropicana has received so much negative feedback that they’re ditching the new style and returning to the old design), the company’s growing pains might have ultimately helped customers more easily distinguish individual products in their extensive juice line in the long term. Hopefully, the new-new designs will implement the much clearer color coding system introduced with the new, controversial packaging.

Tags: logos, packaging, Pepsi, PepsiCo, Tropicana