For four decades, Furlani Foods’ garlic breads have acted as a sort of “silent dinner bell,” bringing families together at the dinner table. That was the spirit that the brand tried to capture in its first package redesign in nearly 20 years, according to Jackie Brenkel, the company’s head of marketing.

But that revelation isn’t one the brand has just cooked up.

“We did a lot of research that highlighted that garlic bread is not just a functional eating experience, a filler on the plate or meal accompaniment, but it actually has an unbelievably magical quality in terms of bringing joy to everyone at the table,” she explains. “So we repositioned the brand to promote the fact that it’s good mood food – not only a meal enhancer, but a mood enhancer, as well.”

The redesign introduces a more vibrant, orange and gold packaging to Furlani’s frozen and bakery product lines. Along with the shift in colour on its packaging, Furlani has redesigned its wordmark, incorporating a heart instead of a traditional dot over the letter “i,” as well as the brand’s new identity, “Family Faves.” It also introduces new, food-forward photography that clearly showcases the contents within the packaging, and incorporates new copy elements – exclamations including “Ooh, yum!” or “Mmm, good!” – all of which “creates appetite appeal and communicates a rich, flavourful taste experience,” Brenkel says.

[iframe_youtube video=”RhKQLtEtWZU”]

“We focused on shopability, navigation, and helping consumers and shoppers find the product they’re looking for,” she explains, noting that the new packaging also calls out important details for contemporary consumers, such as that it is suitable for lactose-free, vegetarian and plant-based diets, as well as product preparation times – which has been a focus of the brand in the past. A QR code on the reverse side of the package also directs consumers to the brand’s new website, where nutritional information and a host of recipes using the product are available to browse.

“We did a lot in a small space of package to communicate the brand positioning and the appeal that garlic bread products have in a meal,” Brenkel adds, noting that in testing, “consumers recognized the tremendous departure from where we used to be.”

The redesign, developed by Furlani’s agency partner Davis, was preceded by a “teaser campaign” over the winter months, called “Comfort Food Classics,” that incorporated a number of promotions on Furlani products. But now that the redesign is hitting shelves, the brand is launching a “very integrated” campaign that includes an OLV buy on Google, communication across its social platforms that promotes its new website and the product redesign, and additional shopper-side promotions.

“Garlic bread just changes the mood in the household,” Brenkel says. “We felt our packaging and website should have the look and behaviour to match that sentiment.”