Seagram's Rebranding Focuses Sophistication

April 14, 2012

Seagram’s (distributed by the Coca-Cola Company) is known for its Ginger Ale and line of mixers such as club soda, tonic water, and so on. In an effort to differentiate its brand as the choice for sophisticated adult consumers, Seagram’s launched a rebranding effort that includes a new logo and package design. The rebranding coincides with the Coca-Cola Company’s plans to expand the brand into new markets.

You can see the old and new logo below.

Check out the new package design below.

And see the new can design below.

The line of Seagram’s products will maintain a consistent design with color used to differentiate flavors. For example, can designs will retain the metallic color palette shown in the image to the left. Similarly, the simpler Seagram’s crest design will be used as a supporting element but notice how it still becomes a centerpiece of the design? It’s very clever.

Overall, this rebranding effort is excellent for a brand that wanted to position itself against the traditional soft drink category and stake its claim in the market of adults looking for a modern brand to offer at parties and events for mixing sophisticated cocktails.

Simple design and metallic colors might seem like an overused trick to represent brands that want to be known as high quality, luxury brands, but when the trick is executed well, it works. This design, by Hatch, demonstrates the importance of restraint in branding — a concept that’s typically associated with brand strategy, extensions, and so on but as the Seagram’s rebranding demonstrates, also applies to brand identity.

The Seagram’s product line will look much more relevant on the shelves in the liquor aisles of stores than the previous design. Of course, the rebranding will draw both supporters and detractors, but one thing is for certain — this rebranding is an improvement over the previous identity and is better aligned with the company’s goals for the brand.

What do you think? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

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Susan Gunelius

President & CEO at KeySplash Creative, Inc.

Susan Gunelius is the author of multiple marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and blogging books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, a leading blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com, a featured writer for Forbes.com, and the Guide to Blogging for About.com. Additionally, her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, FoxBusiness.com, WashingtonPost.com, TheStreet.com, SmartMoney.com, TodayShow.com, BusinessWeek.com, Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Small Business, and more. She has nearly 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Susan also appears at in-person and virtual events where she speaks about marketing, branding, social media, and more (visit www.SusanGunelius.com for more information). You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.