Extraordinary Package Evolution Reasserts Southern Comfort in Today's Culture

Our approach to the design of the new package started with a new brand identity system that created a number of iconic and flexible parts suitable for multiple applications.

12 May 2010 --- Southern Comfort announces the largest packaging evolution in nearly a decade contemporizing the brand and reasserting its relevance with today's consumer.  While the iconic bottle shape remains the same, all three labels and neck wrap work together to reassert its New Orleans provenance and shared equities between the city and the brand.  At the same time, individual design cues have also been created for each product within the Southern Comfort portfolio – 70 Proof, 100 Proof, Special Reserve, newly introduced Southern Comfort Lime and each Ready to Serve Cocktail – to deliver a specific message to the consumer. 

"Very few spirits brands utilize their package to work as hard as the primary communications tool as the new Southern Comfort design," said Mike Isaac, AVP, Global Marketing Director, Southern Comfort. "Our approach to the design of the new package started with a new brand identity system that created a number of iconic and flexible parts suitable for multiple applications.  For example, the new brand shield featured on our main face label allows Southern Comfort to live online, on the back bar or on the store shelf with equally strong visibility and presence."

One of the most significant new features and innovations for the brand is the neck wrap utilizing the award-winning illustration designed by popular illustrator Christian Northeast, who was specially commissioned to capture the vibe and energy of New Orleans, the birthplace of Southern Comfort.  It mixes eclectic images, some more overt than others, to capture the culture and energy of New Orleans for consumers who may not be as familiar with the city.  The new graphical asset has already won a place in Communication Arts Illustration Annual 2010, one of the most prestigious illustration competitions in the world.

With the removal of the intricate detailing of the old labeling, the new front labels feature iconography in graphical lock-ups communicating heritage and provenance using a much clearer, more premium treatment to build affinity with the consumer. 

The iconic shield on the front of the bottle is the new shorthand for the brand serving as a simplified, contemporary badge.  It features the fleur de lis and filigree reminiscent of the wrought iron balconies often found in New Orleans, while "New Orleans Original" appears embossed at the top.  The oval scene on the shield has been transformed into a more subtle stylized New Orleans cityscape representing the brand's birthplace, while allowing the neck wrap to become a more prominent feature of the package.

The bottom label is easier to read and more clearly delivers the Southern Comfort history and provenance.  "None Genuine But Mine" now runs across the label.  This was the philosophy of the Southern Comfort creator New Orleans bartender M.W. Heron and appeared on the first-ever Southern Comfort label speaking to both the uniqueness of the product and the city of New Orleans.

Lastly, the key feature on the back label is the utilization of the crescent moon encircled by the "Inspired by the Crescent City," a common nickname for New Orleans and another reference to the birthplace of Southern Comfort.

The new package was designed by Cue, a brand design company based out of Minneapolis, Minn.  It is now hitting shelves globally with a suggested retail price for a Southern Comfort 70 Proof 750ml of $16.99.