Dive Brief:
- Kashi is moving away from the farm and field imagery common in the branding and packaging of many products in the natural foods category. The new packaging for the line of cereal and grain products spotlights the food itself against a white canvas and uses other clean, modern design elements.
- Editorial-style stories featuring profiles of different people associated with the brand -- from employees and farmers to others who have impacted the brand over the years -- are also printed directly on the redesigned packaging.
- Kashi's revamped brand identity and new packaging strategies reflect Kellogg's latest approach to revitalizing both the brand and its ailing cereal segment.
Dive Insight:
Kellogg has made mistakes with Kashi in the past, particularly when it took over various operations of a brand that once worked autonomously. As the larger company makes changes across its cereal portfolio, such as removing artificial colors and flavors, Kashi has stood as a go-to natural brand for the company, which has enabled Kellogg to experiment with marketing and product reformulations.
In this latest experiment, Kellogg is taking consumers' demand for transparency about ingredients and the company and people behind the product. Through stories printed on the packaging, Kashi delivers more product information while also standing out from other cereals, better-for-you or otherwise.
This is a different approach from other marketing strategies Kellogg has recently implemented, including partnering with celebrity chefs to demonstrate uses for cereal, eating it at other times of the day, and opening a cereal-centric restaurant in Times Square.
While often these additional usage occasions appeal to consumers' desire for indulgence and snack-friendly foods, Kellogg's rebranding of Kashi demonstrates that the company still wants consumers to see this brand for what it's positioned to be: a natural, better-for-you cereal.