Pantone, JBSS, and Damen Jackson Print a Gold Recipe for Success
The Fisher brand of nuts was born in the country’s heartland, St. Paul, MN with Sam Fisher’s simple line of salted in-shell peanuts in 1920, which quickly became a consumer favorite sold in ballparks throughout the United States. It is also believed that Fisher was the first to introduce Honey Roasted Peanuts and today, this American Classic brand offers a full line of snack and recipe nut products – recognizable by its distinctive “Fisher Snack Red (Pantone 185 C) and “Fisher Recipe Blue” (PANTONE 654 C) packaging.
In 1995, John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., (JBSS) acquired the Fisher Brand from Procter and Gamble and launched the company into the national recipe nut category.
(Please note: the above video is available as originally recorded in English)
Color influences 50-85% of product purchasing decisions and is one of the most important elements to consider when creating designs. With only seconds available to command the attention of consumers, packaging must work hard to stand apart from all of the competition on-shelf. Both JBSS and their design agency, Damen Jackson, understood this all too well and knew it was time to update their Recipe Nuts packaging. In 2016, Fisher Recipe Nuts achieved the #1 market share position in the United States and, has since, strived to grow that share so every competitive advantage matters.
Before collaborating with Pantone, JBSS’ Recipe Nuts color palette incorporated a gold color, PANTONE 871 C. Over time, the brand found the gold metallic was becoming “dull” and transitioning into a more bronze shade.
As part of Pantone’s Commercial Graphics portfolio of metallic colors – a palette of softer, warmer colors in the 800 and 8000 series – PANTONE 871 C is best suited for printed projects such as marketing materials, stationery, and advertisements. While appropriate for these non-coated projects, colors in the Commercial Graphics Metallic collection are not ideal for packaging as the ink formulations can sometimes be resistant to coatings such as those intended for the packaging industry. Using them for that purpose could lead to lack of luster, gradual tarnishing, and additional time and cost in either premium or multiple coatings.
Understanding that bottom line is crucial for brands, optimizing production time and costs, while delivering stand-out packaging design, remains a primary objective.
For the Fisher Recipe Nuts redesign project, Pantone collaborated with JBSS and Damen Jackson to identify a color that best communicates the brand personality, stands out and attracts consumers on-shelf, and enables time- and cost-effective reproduction of the colors.
The resulting recommendation was a more brilliant gold, PANTONE 10120C from the Pantone Packaging Metallics collection (colors in the 10000 series). Different from what the team was using previously, these Packaging Metallic inks are formulated with advanced aluminum pigment technology, ensuring brighter, high-luster colors that are durable, non-leafing, tarnish-resistant, and easy to coat – all qualities that make them perfect for use in the packaging industry.
According to the Pantone Color Institute, today we are seeing many more brands bring gold into their packaging. Because it is a metal shade, gold captivates, but the subliminal message is to convey luxury. Adding gold brings sophistication and complexity to a design – it adds visual texture and contrast.
PANTONE 10120 C aptly suits the premium brand image JBSS intends for Fisher Recipe Nuts as gold can also mean “of the earth” and is a warm metal that brings an element of welcome.
PANTONE 10120 C is also a complementary color to the 54 new trend- and market-relevant colors introduced this March for Packaging Metallics that provide economic color options that are easy to use, specify, and amplify for luxurious and dynamic results.
According to Ron Farnum, owner of JBSS’ design agency, Damen Jackson, “The new color offerings, (Pantone Packaging Metallics) allow us a much greater range of options for evolving the packaging from traditional color inks into metallics for stronger visual impact without significantly increasing manufacturing costs.”
JBSS’ new packaging featuring PANTONE 10120 C is slated to hit shelves in Summer 2019. “Pantone helped to contemporize our packaging with a new gold color, bring it to modern times,” commented Roseanne Christman, Sr. Director, Creative Services for JBSS. “Most importantly, one that would be sustainable.” Regarding other packaging refresh projects, Roseanne noted the brand is currently considering additional Pantone Packaging Metallics colors for its Squirrel Brand of products. “We will be incorporating Packaging Metallics in the future for adding that extra special touch and statement of quality – not to mention the unbelievable breadth of colors to choose from.”
Ron Farnum noted, “With the expanded Pantone metallic color palette and a stronger understanding of consumer interpretation of color, it’s very likely that we will be making metallic recommendations in earlier stage packaging presentations, as part of the overall packaging strategy – rather than treating metallics as a ‘nice to have’ option that was previously considered later in the process, when production comes into the conversation.”
Both JBSS and Damen Jackson now well-understand the two different portfolios of colors, Packaging Metallics and Commercial Graphics Metallics, included within the broader Pantone Metallic offering and when each should be optimally used. Both own guides for inspiration as well as chip books to share with stakeholders, supply chain partners, and for use in palette definition for their next rounds of packaging refresh opportunities.
