A year of adjusting what’s Comfort-able

Southern Comfort’s quirky nature – made famous by W+K – is now also expressed in its bottles, labels, secondary packaging, OOH and Australian TVC.

Beach, the Whatever’s Comfortable TVC by Wieden + Kennedy, that turned an odd drink into the in drink, is three years old now and has eight siblings.

This year parents, Brown-Forman, have also invested in all the bits on the side.

Independent US brand design agency, Helms Workshop, redesigned the bottle, label and brand language. A Category of One was reclaimed as the primary message. “Southern” takes a back seat to “Comfort”. “Original” replaces “70 Proof” and the mantra (None Genuine but Mine) of the barman who invented the liqueur, MW Heron, is given a new prominence on the packaging like it had on the original bottles.

Old (l) vs new (r)

“With a sleeker, more sturdy silhouette, the new Southern Comfort bottle is designed to stand out on the shelf. The bottle’s pronounced fluted shoulders and solid base present a timeless look to match the enduring legacy of the product,” Helms Workshop stated.

Global agency, JDO Brand & Design redesigned the secondary packaging for the ready to drink range in Australia and New Zealand. Australia is the world leader in alcoholic RTD (ready to drink), representing 60% of the global market.

JDO’s job was to create packaging that used both the global visual identity and the brand’s positioning of Whatever’s Comfortable.

“It also needed to be dynamic, disrupt category norms and have standout on shelf. With potentially huge graphic real estate, secondary packaging serves as portable advertising and in many cases is more important than primary packs at point of purchase. It grabs attention, creates desire and encourages consumers to switch brands,” JDO stated.

Darren West, group marketing manager at Brown-Forman, commented, “The new Southern Comfort RTD secondary packaging designed by JDO champions the brand’s attitude of being your ‘awesome self’. It establishes the new designs for the RTD primary bottle and can and places them centre stage evoking the brand’s sense of confidence and self belief.”

The new packaging is the focus of an OOH campaign in Australia in the lead up to the end of year party season.

At the end of September, Naked Communications created the As Comfortable as You Are video for the Australian market.

Advertising Agency : Naked Communications

Executive Creative Director : Jon Burden
Creative Director : Dave Ladd
Art Director : Daniel Davison
Copywriter : Ashley Wilding

Production Company : Rabbit
Director : Jesse James
Producers : Mandy Payne, Greg Fyson

Post production: Cutting Edge

Design

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A year of adjusting what’s Comfort-able

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