Whether you are an emerging startup or an established player in the CPG retail space, you have likely felt the pressure of the “sea of sameness” on the retail shelf. With thousands of SKUs competing for a few seconds of a consumer’s attention, the difference between a product that sits on the shelf and one that flies off it often comes down to the strength of its brand.
By the same token, a strong brand has a better chance of actually making it to the shelf in the first place by effectively aligning its story, mission, product and packaging in a way that the retail buyer can easily understand – and share with his or her shoppers.
But when is it time to stop tweaking and commit to a full brand refresh? To answer this, I sat down with Dave Korinek, Chief Brand Officer at branding and packaging design agency Pearl Resourcing, during ECRM’s Everyday & Holiday Cosmetics, Skin, Fragrance and Bath and Cough, Cold, Preventative & Allergy Sessions in Dallas. You can watch the full video interview below!
Korinek, a veteran with over 25 years in the industry, shared his insights on what makes CPG branding effective, the red flags that signal a need for change, and how to tell a story that resonates with both buyers and consumers.
What is a brand, really?
Before diving into the “when,” it is essential to understand what a brand actually encompasses, and what effective CPG branding looks like. Many owners mistakenly believe their brand is simply their logo, but Korinek challenges this narrow view:
“I think it gets misinterpreted or misconstrued a lot of times,” he says. “A logo is just the handshake of a brand. Branding is the ethos of everything. It’s your tone of voice. It’s how you interact with customers… everything. It’s the indelible mark you leave behind when you’re not in the room.”
This includes the tone of your social media, the responsiveness of your customer service, and even the surprise and delight that customers find in the unboxing process. It is the cumulative trust and narrative that makes a consumer or retail buyer choose your product over a dozen identical options.
When is it time to refresh your brand?
If you are unsure whether your brand needs an update, Korinek suggests looking for these key indicators during your interactions with retailers and consumers:
The “recipe” vs. the “chef” problem: Are you selling a list of ingredients, or are you selling an experience? Korinek uses a culinary analogy: a mediocre brand sells the “recipe” (pasta, sauce, meatballs), while a great brand sells the “chef’s story” (a generational family secret, for example). If your packaging only explains what the product is rather than why it exists or the story behind it, you are likely missing an emotional connection with your audience.
Feedback loops and unanswered questions: If you find yourself in buyer meetings – like those at ECRM Sessions – and you are frequently hearing questions about your brand that you can’t answer confidently, that is a major red flag. “Maybe you need to just step back for a second,” Korinek advises. “You have to get the buyer to understand why the demand would be there for a product. And that really goes back to the story and brand that’s behind it.”
Misalignment in perceived value: Another common sign of a branding disconnect, according to Korinek, is confusion over your value proposition. For example, when a brand owner pitches a “premium” product, but the buyer assumes it belongs in a “discounted value” category. This usually means the visual cues, ingredient stories, or sourcing narratives are not being communicated effectively – either via the pitch or from the packaging.
The 20-foot test: On the shelf, effective branding must capture attention from a distance. Korinek looks for the 20- or 30-foot view – something visual that draws a person in close enough to actually pick up the package. If your product blends into the background of the shelf, you are the “purple cow” that never stood out.
Case Study: The transformation of Argires Snacks
Korinek highlights Argires snacks as a prime example of a successful refresh. Originally, the brand had high-quality popcorn but was sold in a clear bag with virtually no design elements. While the product is excellent (I have tried every flavor and they are!), the packaging design didn’t do it justice.
The team went back to the drawing board with a specific strategy: they wanted to compete not just with other popcorn, but with heavy hitters in the snack aisle like Doritos and Cheetos. By adding bold characters, vibrant colors, and a “cheesy” visual personality, they aligned the outside of the bag with the bold flavor inside. The result was a brand that looked relevant for mass retail and resonated with the energy of the snack category (See my video interview with Argires Snacks’ George Argires and Emily Page for details on this packaging refresh).
The Process: How to execute a brand refresh
If you’ve identified that a refresh is necessary, the process should not begin with a designer. It must begin with strategy. Korinek breaks it down into a few critical steps:
Get “naked”: This is the first step in Korinek’s upcoming book. It involves stripping the brand down to its basics and being brutally honest about what is working and what isn’t. “You may not like what you see, but I know what I want to do and what I want to look like, and this will help,” he says.
Define your brand DNA: Treat your brand like a person. Define its tone of voice, personality, and soul. This ensures that as you scale, the brand remains consistent across social media, your website, and the packaging on the retail shelf.
Consumer research: Before committing to a new design, pressure test it with your target audience. Whether it’s Gen Z moms or young families, use online surveys or even in-store interviews to ask: “Which one of these do you trust the most?”
Competitive analysis: Visit stores and take pictures of the shelf where your product will live. See what you are up against and ask yourself if your brand can truly compete visually and narratively.
Choosing the right partner
For many brands, a refresh requires outside help. When looking for a brand agency, Korinek suggests prioritizing collaboration and transparency over “cookie-cutter” packages. He recommends the following:
- Ask for strategy, not just ideas: Don’t just ask an agency to pitch “cool designs”. Ask them how they are going to solve your specific business problem.
- Look for holistic thinking: You want a partner who understands how the brand translates from the shelf to social media to the unboxing experience.
- The trust factor: Branding is a journey. You need a partner you trust enough to listen to their criticism. “If you’re stubborn about it, it doesn’t usually help,” Korinek warns.
Final thoughts: The retail starting line
Remember that getting onto the retail shelf is not the finish line – it’s the starting line. Once you are in-store, the responsibility shifts to you to move that product off the shelf. “A lot of times you don’t get two shots at it,” says Korinek. “You got one shot to make an impression and if you do it wrong, you’re in trouble.”
If you feel your brand isn’t ready to scale or doesn’t yet tell a clear, honest story, it is far better to step back and strategize now than to fail on a national stage. Transparency, honesty, and a clear narrative are what today’s consumers crave. Give them a reason to remember you long after they’ve left the store.