Has your established brand image taken a hit? Are you merging with other brands or adopting new ways of attracting customers in the Kratom, vaping, or cannabis industries? Custom packaging rebranding may be a necessity here. But it can’t be rushed or copied.
Rebranding is never easy, and things aren’t different in industries dominated by skepticism, scrutiny, and intense competition. So, let’s dwell on how to refine your packages to achieve all your rebranding goals and image transformation.
The best foundation for custom packaging rebranding
Before anything is redesigned, pause. Spread your current packaging out on a table. Forget what you know about your brand and what your supplier has said. Look at it with no loyalty to figure out:
- Whether it appears outdated
- Whether it looks like it is inappropriate for your target audience
- Why your packaging has worked well before
- Why it no longer works that way
The first step in rebranding packages in any industry is research. It is necessary to identify what headwinds have emerged and how you can avoid them with rebranded solutions.
Case in point: if your brand was launched during the powder boom, chances are the market has moved since, but your design hasn’t. If your customer base has grown older, but your pouch still looks like an energy drink wrapper, you’re at a disadvantage.
Function comes before style
In regulated industries, pouches or bags are not used as decorations. First and foremost, they are on a mission to keep moisture out, shield your goods from UV, lock in delightful smells, and ensure compliance.
So, before new color palettes and fonts are adopted, decide what your rebranded packaging must do:
- Should it perform any additional function for your products besides safe storage?
- Are there new compliance criteria to fulfill?
- Should it be more practical for in-store pick-ups or online sales?
The answers to these questions will shape your rebranding strategy more vividly than any Pinterest board ever will. This is where your custom packaging rebrand takes form.
New materials
The feel of your bag or container should communicate what your brand has to say. If you used to go with thin zip locks or cheap materials, your products might have felt temporary.
Evaluating materials is an important part of custom rebranding for packages. Don’t skimp on more durable, premium-feel, or biodegradable options. Using higher-quality grades or materials that perform better during transportation or storage will pay off for your new brand image.
Messaging that is on point
Your rebranded packaging should speak clearly, but it should never yell. Scratch too large fonts or uppercase letters, and move toward language that respects the customer. After all, you’re not selling motivation courses – you’re selling products that should be associated with calm, relaxation, or relief.
The best rebranding projects in the Kratom, cannabis, or vaping industries have done well by adjusting their packages to their customers’ lifestyles. It’s not about their age or jobs but their everyday rituals.
Legal comes first
That’s what makes rebranding in heavily regulated industries different. When you’re figuring out how to rebrand custom package designs, compliance must lead the way. Remember, your brand is always under the FDA’s microscope. Your entire shipment may get flagged if you make a mistake in:
- Placement of supplement facts
- Wording on disclaimers
- Child-resistant seals for certain SKUs
- Barcode requirements
- Access to lab results
With so much at stake, working with experts in custom rebranding for package designs is critical. At MYLARMEN, we’ve seen the lawsuits and keep abreast of packaging shifts in each state.
Beyond charming packages
When you have no clear understanding of what the product is, you may find yourself vouching for gold foil borders and herbal swirls for package designs. But these are often empty things that don’t work, no matter how tirelessly you rebrand.
The difference can be felt alongside packaging specialists who’ve handled cannabis, Kratom, and vaping devices before. They know what is required and expected in your target market and can help you refine your packages beyond mere looks. This is what sets a meaningless graphic refresh apart from a custom packaging rebrand that actually works.
How long does rebranding take?
You can’t transform your identity from A to Z within two weeks. It takes time to obtain buy-in for custom designs, match colors, test prototypes, and verify labels. You don’t want to do that in a hurry to discover your rebranded packages are subpar or your labels are hard to read after you’ve ordered and paid for 50,000 units.
Sometimes, laws change midway through the process. This just goes to show that if you launch too soon, you risk having to redesign twice.
Some breathing room wouldn’t go amiss for the rebranding process in a heavily controlled market. The best way to plan is to talk to your branding specialists. In most cases, they will point you to at least 6 months for a successful rebrand.
Additionally, it’s a good idea to conduct A/B testing before the full-scale launch. While letting your old packaging die a slow death in the darkest corner of your warehouse may be tempting, doing so is also risky. A safer way for your business is to use old and rebranded styles side by side to:
- Watch reactions and soften the shift
- Let your regular customers get used to new designs
- Leave some space for design modifications
- Protect your bottom line during the transitional period
This A/B testing may take several weeks or months, depending on how often your goods are sold and the complexity of your product lines.
To rebrand or not to rebrand?
Rebranding is a shift in perception and an opportunity to reintroduce yourself to the market and regulators. Determining whether you should go this route and hire those who know how to rebrand packaging in a custom manner starts with scrutinizing your business performance data.
If it turns out rebranding is the only way out, MYLARMEN will help you say something worth hearing by creating new packages for your products.