Jolly Rancher, the hard candy brand owned by Hershey’s and known for its fruit flavors, has partnered with Little Big Brands to revitalize its packaging and visual identity. Jolly Rancher’s new look captures the essence of its personality and flavor experience, the brand says.
While the previous packaging served the brand well, it says, it reportedly didn’t fully reflect the brand’s vibrant spirit and innovative product portfolio. In response to consumer feedback, the brand’s new packaging includes bold colors, playful typography, and fruit and candy illustrations.
“It’s not every day you get to refresh a brand as iconic as Jolly Rancher, one practically synonymous with the hard candy itself,” says Richard Palmer, executive creative director, Little Big Brands. “We tackled this challenge by first creating a unified brand identity, bursting with personality. To stand out in the crowded candy aisle, we flipped the script with a unique ‘underside down’ visual architecture that puts the spotlight on the candy and its mouthwatering flavors.”
The packaging heroes the fruit flavor through glass fruit illustrations, which reinforce bold fruit flavor with their hyper-realistic shine and texture.
Key elements of the rebrand include:
- Color palette: The packaging now has eye-catching colors that mirror the intensity and variety of Jolly Rancher’s flavors.
- Typography: The Jolly Rancher wordmark and product descriptors have been updated with a font that reinforces the brand’s playful spirit.
- Illustrations: The fruit and candy illustrations reinforce Jolly Rancher’s “fruity personality” and its commitment to taste experiences.
- Product differentiation: The architecture has been streamlined to better differentiate product lines, making it easier for consumers to navigate the brand’s offerings, while allowing the flexibility required to introduce new innovation offerings in the future.
In consumer testing, 63% of consumers preferred to purchase the new design, while only 37% chose the old. The new packaging began rolling out nationwide in summer 2024 and is now widely available.
The Hershey Company is on the current Packaging Strategies “Top 100 Food & Beverage Packaging Companies” list. Click here to view the current “Top 100” rankings.
