Do you shop at Walmart? I’m not asking to start a discussion about urban sprawl or fighting the man or lousy produce or price-slashing. Nope.
I’m here today to discuss the rebranding of Walmart’s generic brand, Great Value.
Have you seen it? Do you like it?
I’ve been thinking of posting about this for a couple weeks and then on Saturday, Mark reminded me of one of the many reasons I love him. As we were in the kitchen, getting ready for Annalyn’s party, he asked: “So, what do you think of the new Walmart look?”
Well, Mark, I’m glad you asked. (Seriously. I love that he knows that I would have an opinion – and that he cares about what that opinion is.)
I don’t think I like it. I will agree that the rebranding has unified the Great Value look, leaving the consumer little doubt about which products are Great Value.
In other words, you can’t miss it. Those boring, blank white boxes are Great Value.
And that’s my issue with it. The blank, white look, especially in mass, makes me think cheap. And while I want my groceries to cost less, I don’t really want to believe that they’re cheap.
You know?
So, any thoughts? Like it? Hate it? Not sure why anyone would care about a logo?
If you raised your hand to the latter question, I can’t help you. But if you’re all over logos and branding and that sort of fun thing, here’s a bonus for you. Check out the Logo Quiz and the Company Logo Quiz.
While I understand your point of view, that it makes the products look cheap, there's just something in my organization obsessed self that would LOVE to have a pantry stocked full of products that match and are a nice, crisp, clean white (of course, this would take a while cause I'd slowly have to weed out all the other brands from my pantry). Call me crazy, but it appeals to my order crazed brain.
Steve likes the new label, because, as he says, "They jump out at you" in a grocery aisle full of choices. I really don't care… but I do like saving money and most of the time the Great Value brand taste just fine to me!
I don't love the white (granted, I hadn't seen it til now because I rarely shop at Walmart and almost never for groceries) (possibly because it takes too long to walk around and find everything). It's interesting that Target has done their rebranding too (to "up and up") and theirs are all white too. What's with that?
Cory and I (or was it Chelley and I?) had the exact same conversation and we agree with you. It looks really cheap, and so does the new Target look. I think they probably did it (as someone else commented) to make it jump out at you, but I think they could have designed something that is in basic colors and large print that looked a little classier.
I don't remember the orange juice brand, maybe it was Tropicana, but they actually had to change their "new" labels back to old looks b/c it looked too much like the new Wal-Mart brand. Does that make sense? The consumers basically said Tropicana, trying to be sleek and simple, looked too generic and if they were going to pay Tropicana price, they didn't want it to look cheap.
I hadn't seen the new Walmart branding until my mom brought up veggies to can (Chicago doesn't have Walmart in the city). The first thing I said to her was, "Wow, they redid their branding and it's sort of ugly." I can see where it could help them cut costs, but to me it's just not appealing–even to my cheap side. I'd buy it if I had it, but I don't like it.
I buy the generic Wal Mart brand- it's good enough for the price. But like the generic Honey Nut Cheerios (for example) are no *near* as good as the brand name. But for the price- it's edible…
I agree. I don't like it.
I confess that I am a minimalist/modernist, so I love the stark-white paired with the simple image/text. Wal-Mart is far from a minimalist haven, but, at least they're on the right track. next, they need to streamline/spruce the stores up a bit.
I have not seen the new look and probably wouldn't have known that they changed it if you hadn't told me because I don't go to Walmart very often. Having said that, I agree with you. It looks really retro, not really retro cool, but like "are you sure these peas you bought in the 70's aren't expired?"
I had this very conversation with my husband the other day! (He didn't understand at all.) I agree with you 100%. It's almost as if WM doesn't want to sell its own brand as much as they want to sell the namebrand stuff. I think they should change it back.
Cracking up. I agree but sadly, there is nothing I can do about it.
I agree here. Blank = boring and cheap and mundane. I feel the same way about the Target packaging as well. It just screams GENERIC as opposed to sidling up next to you in the aisle and whispering, "Hey cutie, have I got a deal for you!" I like my products and produce to flirt a little, you know? ;)
My mom and I just had this conversation today! I couldn't agree more. I want inexpensive, not cheap.
I totally understand where you're coming from. Of course, many of us are looking for a "great value" but that doesn't mean we want it to be "screaming" from our shopping carts.
Don't like it at all and hate for people to tell me I'm cheap. I already KNOW I'm cheap. It's like someone mentioning that I have 15 pounds or so to lose. Yes. Thanks, I know that. You didn't have to rub it in.
I'm with Jessie in that I rarely go to WM, but in a pinch I do. I live 2.5 seconds from Tar-jhay, so I'm there almost every day and (like our pal Jes also mentioned) they have gone to cheapity cheap looking packaging, too. I wonder if they are shooting for "cleaner" looking? 'Cause they landed on "bobo Keds" looking.
My thoughts exactly……they look really cheap. If I was changing my color scheme, I would have went with black. No one wants plain ole cheap stuff.
Yeah – not liking it at all. I've been a big fan of GV products forever – and my mom told me about the change before I had a chance to see it. YUK. Cheap is as cheap does and I am actually not liking the look. Still, if they don't change the PRODUCT, I'll keep buying them. But yuk. Might as well have left the cans without labels and imprinted the contents on the top of the lid.
oh my goodness i was gonna blog about this too when they first switched over. because i was looking for the thick n creamy macaroni in a red box with a yummy looking picture on the front, and i ended up buying the butt ugly white box with a disgusting looking picture of what was supposed to be macaroni on the front. seriously. why do they think that the new look is better? ben said they were trying to save money by not using as much colored ink…
anyway, it reminds me of the generic aisle in our local grocery store growing up. the aisle glowed yellow… and i HATED when my mom would buy that brand just because i knew it was generic.
so yes, i AGREE with you!