In a move to attract the time-starved and quality-hungry Canadian grocery shopper, Campbell Soup has re-designed ­ and re-named ­ its premium line.

Its HomeCooking ready-to-serve soup line (called LaCreme in Quebec), on the market in this country for only two years, has just been relaunched nationally as Campbell’s Classics, with a new label and a tv campaign, by bbdo of Toronto.

‘We found that Canadians aren’t relating well to the HomeCooking name,’ says Ross Hugessen, assistant brand manager of Campbell’s Classics, adding that the premium positioning is better communicated through the new name and labeling.

Besides, he says, the new name translates better in the Quebec market where, up until now, the company hasn’t introduced the broth varieties of the nine flavor-line, thanks to the fact that the name, LaCreme, prevented it from doing so. Now that the name has been changed, the Toronto company plans to introduce more varieties to the province, says Hugessen.

The 30-sec. national spot, to run in both English and French, will be ‘aspirational’, according to Hugessen, adding that it will not follow the typical comparison spots of the past, where the premium soup was spooned up beside a less impressive, more watery concoction.

Thomas Pigeon, principal of Toronto’s Thomas Pigeon Design, which created the new look, says the Classics name has more of an air of sophistication, while the label still retains some familiarity.

The new label has a center badge to hold support copy, which Pigeon says adds relief and dimension to the can, while the product photograph shows a richer, more abundant-looking soup. The plain background has been replaced with a softly-illustrated touch which Pigeon contends sets a more approachable ­ and luxurious ­ mood and tone.

The target group for the line is time-pressured, upper-income couples, says Campbell’s Hugessen ­ the very same people who are picking up premium soups in grocery delis (generally offered in Mason jars). Classics ­ at $1.89 a can ­ retails for almost twice as much as the company’s red-and-white brand, which averages about $1 a can, according to Hugessen.

Although not dramatic in scope, the name and label change is meaningful for a company accustomed to a somewhat prudent approach to brand changes, and the Canadian office had to receive approval from its u.s. headquarters. South of the border, the line is called HomeCookin’ and has had that moniker for about a dozen years, says Hugessen, adding that it was much easier to make the considerable alterations in the Canadian market where the brand d’esn’t have the history as d’es its u.s. counterpart.

‘This is an exciting change for us,’ he says, adding that he hopes it will help drive the brand.