No, Smarties hasn’t undergone a minimalist redesign. The no-frills black-and-white boxes on shelves right now are a call-to-action for consumers, inviting them to submit their own package concepts at ww.smarties.ca.

‘The package [redesign contest] is a consequence of a much larger brand initiative,’ explains Paul Hodges, marketing manager, Smarties at Toronto-based Nestlé Canada. ‘It’s an activity that allows Canadians to interact with our brand…. Interactivity is part of everything Smarties puts out there.’

The site is easy to navigate with simple tools to ensure that anybody can submit decent designs – not just designers. The core demographic is 12-16.

The initiative launched last month, with the first of four million black-and-white Smarties boxes beginning to hit shelves. It’s being supported by transit ads across Canada, as well as POP displays. The effort was conceived by Toronto-based agency Big Image Marketing Group, which worked with other agency partners including JWT, MacLaren McCann Direct & Interactive, ZenithOptimedia and Argyle Communications.

The contest wraps at the end of December, and the 10 user-designed packages will roll out in summer 2008.