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With its name front and center, and colors and imagery dialed up, Halo hopes to lure owners looking for all-natural products for their pets.
By Eric Newman
What is it? A high-end line of all-natural pet foods, dietary supplements and grooming products intended for pet owners who want their animals' diets to reflect their own all-natural lifestyle values. Products are premium priced. A 12-pack of 5 oz. dog food cans fetch about $22 while a 4 lb. bag of dried food goes for $11.
The idea: Launched 20 years ago by Andy Brown, Halo started out as a simple stew the founder created to nurse her sick cat back to health. Those stews have grown into a full line of pet products with national distribution in specialty pet stores. But as Halo looked to expand, it realized it had a bit of a problemÑits logo/brand name was the most insignificant graphic on the packaging. "They had a real brand architecture problem," said Jim Adorney, design director at Catapult Thinking, Boston, which was hired to redesign the packaging. "When you saw the products on a shelf, you didn't see the whole family, but rather a collection of products with a similar look, because the Halo brand name was quite downplayed on the product."
Challenges: The major difficulty was cutting back packaging copy, said Adorney. The brand's story and all-natural message needed to be adequately communicated, but not to the extent that it impinged on the brand's perception as a premium product.
The solution: First, Catapult tackled the priority of bringing forward the Halo brand name. The team decided to keep illustrations. Since most of its competitors relied on traditional photographic imagery, this would help distinguish Halo on the shelves. However, the illustrations were reworked towards more vibrant, less contrasting colors that showed pet owners interacting with their pets. This was a play at dialing up the emotional appeal to caring consumers willing to pay the extra money for their beloved pets. Nature and landscape backgrounds were used to communicate a healthy lifestyle for this all-natural brand.
What's behind It: Under new investors Pegasus Capital Partners, Halo has moved into major retail chains this year, including PetCo and Whole Foods Market. Ellen DeGeneres, known for her pet advocacy, has signed on as part-owner of the brand. The comedienne has featured the product on her eponymous daily talk show and is currently featured as the voice of the brand on the company's Web site.
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