Nestlé Purina PetCare Felix

Nestlé Purina's cat food brand Felix was suffering from a disconnection between the retail packaging design and its much-loved advertising campaigns. It was perceived as less tasty than competitor brand Whiskas and its market share was in decline.

Challenge
Felix needed a new brand packaging solution to help re-establish the product as the leader in key markets across Europe. There were two main objectives. Firstly, to reconnect retail packaging with the 'little rascal' character found in the advertising - the pack's personality needed to exhibit a cheeky 'Felix-ness'. Secondly, to maximise the taste appeal, challenging Whiskas directly on taste and underpinning this with the brand promise of 'Irresistible food for irresistible cats'.

Other key considerations were to offer a more premium-looking pack, with improved clarity and hierarchy of product communication.

Response
An initial process, including consumer workshops, created a platform for the visual expression of the brand. Key images were developed firstly into non-packaging-specific ideas and from there, four key concepts were taken into qualitative research and benchmarked against the visual platform.

The 'Can't wait!' concept answered the brief on all fronts, perfectly encapsulating the two core objectives in one idea: Felix can't wait to get to his favourite food (re-enforcing taste appeal) and so arrives skidding across the kitchen floor (like a cheeky rascal). This gave the whole packaging the desired 'Felix-ness', with graphic design and tone of voice bringing the brand personality to life. The brand marque was also redrawn to include a unique and playful paw print.

Product communication and shelf stand-out were increased through a premium presentation of the format and its varieties, using a distinctive white band in the graphic design.

Result
Drawing together a consistent brand expression, the new packaging re-established Felix as market leader, delivering a 13.5% increase in sales across Europe, with growth outstripping rival brand Whiskas.

The client says...
'The visual clarity Seymourpowell brought to the Felix brand architecture breathed new life into the essence of the brand to deliver a powerful range that significantly moves the brand forward.' - Sidonie Kingsmill - European Marketing Manager, Nestlé Purina PetCare (now Food Marketing Director for Tesco, UK)