September 02, 2005
NEW YORK -- Mrs. Smith's traditional home-style desserts and bake-it-fresh pies are sporting their first packaging overhaul since 1998. The company hopes the provocative redesign launched this week will tempt folks in the freezer aisles to shop from the wide variety of the brand's products.
Distributed and marketed by Schwan's Bakery, Suwanee, Ga, Mrs. Smith's produces a large array of frozen desserts that range from deep-dish pies and fruit crumb pies to cream pies, cakes and cobblers. Today, the products are available in supermarkets nationwide.
New packaging, via Brand Optix, Minneapolis, is being phased in across the entire portfolio and features crisper photography with a bold blue banner logo and color-coded category differentiation. Product reformulation also includes crisper piecrusts.
"It's the double-take that we're after," said Bob Trombino, senior director of marketing and category leadership for Schwan's. "With the new packaging we have created a dominant presence, which encourages consumers to shop the entire Mrs. Smith's brand. We want consumers to shop for their favorite product and try other Mrs. Smith's varieties."
The effort comes as the company last month launched a Cinnabon Apple Crumb Pie with the new packaging. The pie is the result of a licensing agreement with Cinnabon, a leader in the cinnamon-roll bakery category. The pie features Cinnabon's Makara cinnamon and cream cheese icing.
High premium FSI's this quarter will support the package redesign.
