The Brief
Pure is Waitrose’s own-brand range of fragrance-free toiletries. Launched in 1997, it has an enduring popularity with customers, even though the packaging design has remained unchanged for six years. A redesign was proposed, with the key intention of refreshing the range, rather than trying to boost already impressive sales figures. Therefore, the brief did not set increased sales targets and the overall ‘personal wash market’ was relatively static, increasing just 1.2 percent in the twelve months from April 2003.
The Design
From the outset, Pure was not a premium brand, but shared certain characteristics with the upper end of the market – quality, purity and simplicity.
Pearlfisher, commissioned to undertake the redesign, saw these as the primary characteristics to emphasise in the new packaging. There was a chance to make the range appear more desirable and aspirational – taking it up-market without alienating the current core customers. To this end, the new design was reduced to a minimal logo, with clean blue typography designed to suit any home colour scheme. Pure was launched in Waitrose at the start of 2004 and in John Lewis in April 2004.
The Results
The redesign had a remarkable effect on sales. Volume sales rose by 21 percent on its introduction in Waitrose and value sales were 23 percent above the same period the previous year, well above the market average sales for this sector. Despite a conflicting promotion with Pure’s main market competitor, the new packaging ensured that it outsold its rival by 40 percent. However, the real gain came when Pure was introduced into John Lewis. The department store’s beauty counters are usually stocked with name brands and would never have considered a Waitrose-own product. However, the quality of the new packaging convinced John Lewis’s toiletries buyers to take the product; as a result, John Lewis’s 24 stores account for 5 percent of all Pure sales. This cross-pollination between the brands has led to further collaborations and has changed the culture of the organisation.
Judge’s Comments
Sarah Stein, Director Brand Strategy, Orange SA noted that the new packaging had a ‘massive effect, not only on sales, but actually changing John Lewis and Waitrose’s distribution strategy’.
