About six months ago the Pyramid Brewing Company of Seattle introduced new names, new labels and a new logo for their brand. They abandoned their old look and did a complete re-think of who they are and what they should look like. The result: well, in my opinion questionable.
They changed the beer names from a generic category identification reflecting a specific style and taste—Hefeweizen, Red Ale and IPA—to names more evocative of a quartet of comic book superheroes– Haywire, Audacious, Juggernaut and Thunderhead. I’m not totally against this, but what kind of experience are they trying to communicate? How does this connect to the legacy of the brand? These new names don’t really mean anything to a craft beer consumer other than sounding like they belong in Marvel Comics. And they don’t reflect anything unique about the brand position or strengths. Would someone actually say “I’m going to have a Juggernaut tonight!” I doubt it (by the way juggernaut means unstoppable crushing force which leads me to believe one might be inspired to destroy the drinking establishment).
The actual design of the new labels along with the methodology to change the names is disjointed and confusing with busy sports illustrations that look like a collage gone bad. There are so many activities I can’t really figure out what I’m supposed to be doing. The visual images are more evocative of an energy drink than a beer. It’s as though the marketing directive was “make it cool to the younger crowd, throw in a bunch of action sports then they’ll buy it, oh, and somehow fit the pyramid theme in the background” (this could just as easily be on a bottle of Gator Aid).
I ask, where’s the connection to their past, their history? After all, Pyramid is a 25-year-old craft brewing company, one of the oldest brewers from the early days of craft brewing in the 1980’s. They grew up along with Sierra Nevada and the venerable and even older Anchor Steam Brewing Company of San Francisco. I’m lost at where the brand equity is in this complete reinvention of the packaging and it’s abandonment of its older look and history.
I strongly feel brands can migrate, change and evolve design but the goal is to re-invigorate and enhance the connection to the brand, its history and its loyal customers. You may get a big jump in sales from a sudden change, but will it last over time and are you losing customers who feel no connection to your brand? What do you want to communicate that’s unique and ownable? These are key questions that need to be asked.
However, there is one redeeming element in this entire redesign–the new Pyramid logo: I think it’s actually very well done. In fact it’s the only item that seems to be iconic, simple and sustainable over time and it fits perfectly on the pyramid cap. But be prepared for a package redesign within two years. You can bet on it.