HYDROX
PRODUCT REPOSITIONING
THE ASK:
Make Hydrox a challenger brand in the chocolate sandwich cookie category, which is currently dominated by Oreo.
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THE IDEA:
Oreo is to chocolate sandwich cookie what Polaroid is to instant camera: the brand is synonymous with the category itself.
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In order to make Hydrox stand out, we needed to visually distinguish the Hydrox brand from Oreo and avoid direct comparison at all cost.
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THE PRODUCT:
Hydrox is the original chocolate sandwich cookie, but over the past 80 years it has undergone 6 product rebrands, 3 changed of ownership, and was absent from store shelves for 15 years. However, unlike Oreo, Hydrox is all-natural, made in the USA, and has a darker chocolate cookie that has garnered a serious cult following.
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OUR STRATEGY:
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1. Use the product's history as a vehicle for the brand story. Return to your roots, stop copying Oreo, and thrive off of what made Hydrox popular in the first place. In this case, it means smaller packages and a red, black, and white color palette.
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2. Move Hydrox from the mass-produced packaged cookie section to the "adult" cookie section. Take Hydrox from sharing a shelf with Oreo and instead place it next to higher-end products like Pepperidge Farm's Milano cookies.
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3. By associating Hydrox with the higher-end cookie section, featuring its history of originality, creating value-added packaging, and promoting its top-quality ingredients, Hydrox can break away from Oreo and redefine its own corner of the chocolate sandwich cookie market.
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WHY IS THIS A GOOD IDEA?
Hydrox is a brand that continues to hold onto die-hard fans who remember the cookie from childhood, but the brand will never be able to take on Oreo head-to-head. Instead, we have repositioned the brand as the first premium chocolate sandwich cookie. Ever.
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WHAT DID LOU DO?
1. Strategy development, including shelf placement, brand positioning, packaging concept, and launch plan.
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2. Package design, including all product and shelf placement mock ups.
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3. Style guide for product rebrand
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4. Company research and competitive analysis
