It's hard enough to have a recognizable silhouette. But what do you do when you find that your iconic shape just isn't that functional? Heinz had this experience when it redesigned its iconic bottle in 2002:
It's eminently functional: no drips, no liquid pouring out first, easy to grip, shatter-proof, holds more product, stacks face-out, fits the fridge door, etc. But did the designers include "unique" or "iconic" as criteria? Did they want to evoke the timeless curves of a cello? (They could have.) Given that Hunt's, A&P's, and other brands looks almost the same, probably not. (Interestingly, Heinz's new packets echo the new bottles).
How many cues are we using to help shoppers find our products in the Sea of 50,000 SKUs? Shoppers usually spend only a few seconds scanning the shelf for CPGs. Next time you're in a store, play the silhouette game: see how shapes define categories or products, and see which brands are recognizable by shape alone.
