Australian icon Sara Lee and its long-term partner, branding agency BrandOpus, have teamed up to reveal a new brand strategy, range architecture and packaging design for the Sara Lee core and better-for-you ranges of frozen desserts.
The design, according to BrandOpus, celebrates the warmth, comfort, and pleasure of Sara Lee desserts using natural textures and fibres, from the marble of the benchtop to the linen of the napkin. In the photography, fresh warm lighting creates soft shadows, cueing the emotion of the kitchen as the heart of the home. A vintage-inspired yet modern typeface taps into the rich history and nostalgic nature of the brand in a contemporary way.
Sara Lee’s iconic red and white colour pallet has also been retained yet evolved. A dark blue helps elevate the design, while earthy neutral tones give a nod to the modern Australian kitchen, reinforcing the naturalness of the ingredients.
The strategic design overhaul is in response to an increased appreciation for family connections in the casual dining and entertaining occasion throughout pandemic lockdowns. To thrive in the frozen desserts space, Sara Lee needed to elevate itself to better connect with consumers emotionally, tapping into the desire to make at home meals a little bit special.
The project was sparked by a need to ensure the Sara Lee brand, which the company says has a long-standing history and loyal following, loved by generations of Australian families, remains contemporary and relevant as the category evolves. It also marks a fresh beginning for the 50-year-old brand under the new ownership of New Zealand-based investor group South Island Office (SIO).
“Sara Lee is a very special brand, carrying deep associations of comfort and pleasure, anticipation and excitement for many Australians,” said Jo Matthews, marketing manager at Sara Lee. “The re-energised design sets the brand up to appeal to a whole new generation of Sara Lee advocates, celebrating the kitchen as the heart of the home. We’re thrilled with the quality of work BrandOpus has produced and are eager to see it out in the world.”
“Our mission was to walk the fine line between contemporising the family favourite for today’s consumer, without losing what made it so familiar. This is just the first of many exciting evolutions to come for Sara Lee and it’s been an honour to work with a well-loved brand that has a wealth of heritage,” said Nikki Moeschinger, MD BrandOpus
The new packs are due to hit shelves this week, and will be rolling out across all major food retailers nationwide. The project is the first part of a portfolio-wide overhaul, which aims to reposition the offerings to sit under a more meaningful Masterbrand approach.
