Going upscale in a down economy
New-product launch for Bravado Imports delivers critical package development
New York, NY – May 5, 2009 – Perception is reality, and value perceived, sells. That’s the story for Bravado Imports, Inc., of Lititz, PA., an all-new company with an all-new, high-end product, an all-new brand and a new custom package developed with help from packaging consultant Comp24 in New York City. Bravado’s new product packaging story is not only attracting attention but is one that a multitude of established marketers would love to emulate.
The first bottling of Quay™ Vodka Mediterranean from France (pronounced ‘key’) in the U.S. begins with distribution from New England to Pennsylvania, and will later reach Chicago and extend to points west.
“When they first see the bottle, ‘Wow!’ is most often the first word out of anyone’s mouth,” said Joseph Durovey, Executive Vice President of Bravado Imports. “We have plenty of competitors with many beautiful, fancy bottles trying to grab people’s attention off the shelf. With this kind of high-end product, especially from a new and unknown company like ours, your package really needs to look the part.”
Carl Perman, a Senior VP at Comp24, agrees. “When you are at a premium price point in this market, a truly elegant, rich-looking package is a must. Bravado had found a tall, clear glass bottle from a French manufacturer that they liked, but needed it to become something more high-end. They approached us to develop graphics and coloration for the bottle. Like many marketers in this situation, they had a specific idea of what they wanted and realized ordinary iterations would not work.”
Early involvement key to creating custom look
Quay is designed and formulated to glorify and reflect the cultures and refinement of Europe’s Mediterranean region, specifically countries bordering the sea. Hence, the name Quay (literally defined as a wharf providing access to ships) and the search for a rich, slightly greenish blue Mediterranean feel in package coloration.
“In some situations, you can just pick a PMS (PANTONE® Matching System) color,” Perman said, “but that only shows what it looks like on paper. Glass is a transparent medium so a simple PANTONE or chip match won’t do. Consequently, we conducted several color studies with explorations initially evolving from some magazine ads and other blue paper examples Bravado shared with us.”
Bravado also provided a number of small glass bottles from its manufacturer in France, and booked time to work directly with an airbrush artist and the rest of the Comp24 Bravado package design team. The session was judged as a huge success by both parties.
“Comp24 was very open to us coming in to do sample bottle colorations on-site,” Durovey said. “This was extremely beneficial for novices like us, never having been involved with this kind of product or process. Even computer-generated artwork isn’t necessarily accurate or real. We could visually see as it was happening and they came up with quite a mix of colors to help us find the exact shade of blue-green we were looking for.”
Comp24’s Perman said mini bottles were sprayed with color variations ranging from a yellowish cool blue to a purplish warm blue. Bravado then selected three samples for consideration before moving on to the next phase of new-package development.
Real time, real fast
Having selected the just-right “Quay Mediterranean” shade of blue, Bravado then provided Comp24 with full-size 750 ml glass bottles from the manufacturer. Now it was time for more color studies, comparing solid blue with a number of gradation options and another face-to-face session with the Comp 24 team.
“For example, we went from a solid blue on top, gradated to clear and went back to solid blue at the bottom,” Perman said. “We also had variations such as solid blue about one-third of the way down the tall, slim, tapered bottle, then gradating out over a couple of inches so that the bottom half of the bottle was totally clear. Ultimately, this became the coloration design of choice.”
Next came a full-comp package with complete label graphics, but not before studies to determine precise locations of white and blue type and agreement on how and where to place detailed label information. The solution was relatively easy thanks to the bottle’s stylishly squared shape – a side label for descriptive product copy with ingredients and retail bar code.
“We wanted to emphasize the see-through clarity of Quay,” Durovey said. “When customers see the bottle up on the shelf, we want the view through the lower half of the bottle to be totally clear and not disrupted by graphics or type showing through from the back.”
Before pulling the trigger, Bravado conducted a limited survey among consumers with two fully labeled bottle options. An overwhelming 99 percent enthusiastically endorsed the same package. Two complete comps were then finalized by Comp24, including one for the bottle manufacturer in France so they could precisely emulate the package as it was created.
“Our bottle manufacturer uses a proprietary painting and coating process,” Durovey said. “They spray on the color, silk screen the label, and apply clear-coat protection. It was extremely helpful for them to have the Comp24 bottle to copy and get the translucency precisely correct. The other comp gave us a sample we could photograph and work with so we could get started on our own promotional material.”
Durovey indicated that seeing the actual bottle produced reaffirmed Bravado’s decision to work with Comp24 months before. “Simple elegance is what we wanted to achieve with this package. Comp24 helped us do precisely that.”
This kind of up-front involvement and face-to-face collaboration is becoming more commonplace, notes Comp24 President Ken Wasserman.
“Today more than ever, it is vital for prototypes to look, feel, and perform like the actual finished product as closely as possible and it is especially true for new products such as Quay. The pressure to get to market quickly makes it difficult to anticipate downstream production issues which can affect the final cost as well as appearance of the package. This is where our experience, knowledge and understanding of colors, structure and materials can help point the way to a superior finished product.”
“Our process is great for both laymen and experienced designers,” said Comp24’s Perman. “They come in with ideas and we help with concept development. In Bravado’s case it saved many weeks, even months of time compared to working with the bottle manufacturer overseas. Our process offers marketers much more developmental control. They can sit down with experienced people face-to-face and participate firsthand in seeing their ideas brought to life.”
“Working with Comp24 was an extremely pleasant experience,” Durovey said. “It was a terrific experience to work with these specialists. So much was accomplished in just a matter of hours. It was well worth the money we invested and a really good value for us.”
Like magic
With product coming off the filling lines and new Quay bottles in-hand, Durovey is leading the initial quest to solidify distribution and generate retail orders in a dozen-plus targeted states. He said both the vodka and package itself are working magic.
“At a recent meeting with retailers, one store owner who is an avid Grey Goose drinker took one look at the bottle and said ‘WOW’, then took a sip of the vodka and was ready to switch,” Durovey said. “The retailer then called three distributors and told them they would be missing the boat if they don’t get our product as soon as possible.”
Durovey also said sales people for another distributor believe Quay will easily attract its high-end target market, which makes it even more impressive. “These people may see 10 new vodkas a month.”
Comp24’s Perman smiles at such news and admires the Quay bottle on his desk. “We were able to give Bravado a upscale, custom piece that no one else has and in the exact color they were looking for. We helped them get it quickly, with relatively little expense. The package is doing all that they hoped it would.”
Comp24, a subsidiary of Merisel, Inc. (MSEL:OTC), is a leading consultant and producer of packaging and related prototypes, providing prepress and production advice, photography, 3D, color management, comps & heroes, models & props, sales samples, transfers and related services for marketers of foods and beverages, cosmetics, personal care, household, healthcare and other products. It operates from offices in New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles. For more information, visit: www.comp24.com.
Merisel, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, supplies visual communication solutions in the United States. The company offers imaging services, such as graphic arts consulting and production, including design consulting, large format digital photographic output, inkjet and digital output, photo finishing, and exhibit and display, as well as produces visual communications media for use in the design and production of consumer product packaging and advertising products used in retail stores, and large format outdoor and event displays. Merisel, Inc. is headquartered in New York City, New York.
