Branding Trends for 2008

6th January 2008..

 

Brands will appeal to the self-interest of consumers by offering them increasing scope to personalise the look and feel of their goods.  In the US, Jones Soda encourages drinkers to download their own photographs to its website, then prints the images onto the bottle labels.  It will send you a crate of soft drink bottles with pics of you and your cat on them if you wish – such user-generated design is expected to start making an impact in the UK this year.  It is already in action with personalised shopping brochures and the pick ‘n’ mix design of the Mini.

Then there is mass-premiumisation, which is expected to continue this year with an explosion in premium products and upmarket versions of existing brands.  Rocketing raw material prices in 2008 will mean many brand-owners have to push through price rises.  Designers will have to find ways of updating packaging and branding to make these rising prices look reasonable.