Rubies in the Orchard: How to Uncover the Hidden Gems in Your Business by Lynda Resnick & Francis Wilkinson

Author:Lynda Resnick & Francis Wilkinson
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9780385529426
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2009-02-09T18:30:00+00:00

The source of FIJI’s artesian water.

Remember the old Stewart Resnick mantra? “The management is good. I’ll let them run the business and it won’t take any time from me at all.” Right!

FIJI founder David Gilmour stayed on after the sale, as did the company president, but within a few months the old regime was gone. We moved the offices from lovely but inconvenient Aspen to Los Angeles, where we could take advantage of the various benefits of cohabitation with our other companies. Then, based on our new understanding of FIJI Water’s Unique Selling Proposition, I set out to change the identity of the brand—while those who had created the original identity cringed.

I try not to be insensitive, but when you have invested $150 million in a company with the intent of taking it to the next level, a little insensitivity is sometimes hard to avoid. Seemingly unaware of FIJI Water’s unique aquifer, the existing label on the bottle was a cartoon illustration of a waterfall. Yes, it was a picture of fresh, pristine water rushing over a dramatic cliff in the tropics. Yes, it evoked a sense of unspoiled nature and primitive beauty. Yes, it had a certain allure. But surface water? Surface water! Why would you want to suggest that FIJI came from surface water? The waterfall absolutely had to go.

In addition to the waterfall on the front of the label, the existing bottle had a back label that attempted to show where the islands of Fiji are located. The graphics were so weak that it was hard to understand what exactly was being communicated. In addition to these particular issues, there was a more general problem; the bottle was so discreet, so subtle, and so pale it just about disappeared on the supermarket shelf—it was indistinguishable from the background. In some refrigerated cases, which put a frost on the bottle, you couldn’t find it with a magnifying glass and a bloodhound. It seemed we had just bought the Where’s Waldo? of the packaging world.

One great lesson I’ve learned in retail is to take a mockup of your product to the point of sale and look at it in its natural habitat—the jungle of competition. We photograph the tableau, take it back to the office, and study what the picture says. Your package at the point of sale is a minibillboard for your brand. You must use that space effectively to communicate your product’s virtues, outshine your competitors, and reassure consumers that they are making the right choice when they select your product. I can’t tell you how many times I have been surprised by those in situ photographs. Often, the package I loved at close range in the office wasn’t the design that worked best on the shelf.

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