Beanz Meanz Heinz

I consider myself a brand maven of the old school. A Jedi from of the planet Logo. No detail generally gets past me, and I can spot a font tweak or a redux from twenty paces.

So when I noticed that my favourite brand of baked beans had not only changed its logo but the name on the can it was a genuine shock. Why? Because I’d had the new design in my cupboard for many weeks.

I often tell my clients that establishing look-and-feel is the centerfugal force of great branding. Being consistent with colors and shapes is key, and familiarity with the product isn’t locked into a name. Look at the way that Coke changes its language – but not its look and feel – when moving into China, Israel or India. The type changes, but the red and white remain consistent and familiar regardless of typography.

Nike does not have the rights to their familiar company name in countries like Spain, where the word pre-dates the American sports company’s existence. But when sponsoring one of Spain’s top soccer teams, Barcelona, the tick did all the work. A visit to the Nike Store at Barca’s Camp Nou stadium was a lesson in how to brand without words, and I think companies like Apple and Target learned a lot from this.

So to look at my tin of beanz I just could not believe that I had missed the letter swap, and the debut of – shock – a photo of actual baked beans on the label.

The inspiration for the swap is TV. The influence of their long extablished TV packshot styling is clearly not lost on the folks at Heinz. ‘Beanz Meanz Heinz’ is a slogan and a graphic is so ingrained on the British psyche that an old kid like me didn’t even notice the sleight of hand.

I just kept on buying the beanz…