MERRICK PETCARE: A Case Study

The Task

As a successful petcare business run founded on the idea of offering simple, nutritious and healthy products, Merrick Pet Care had received regional success but was looking to target larger and more diversified markets. As with any rebrand, we had to be careful as to our approach. Would their current customers recognize the new Merrick products as the same company they had been brand-loyal to all these years? Would the customer see this as a move away from the traditional, family-owned company to one that is has lost its’ personal appeal, devaluing the Merrick name?

The Solution

We looked to humanize the brand, connecting with the customer on a personal level to remind them of the natural, wholesome foods that are a part of everyday family life, not a formula created in lab. This was done through creating a comprehensive strategy that has since been copied over and over in the pet food industry by their competitors.

A Fresh Look: Not wanting to lose what brand-loyalty they had, we came up with a logo design that instills the same 5 star quality but with an established traditionally rooted look, projecting a company that could have been around for 100 years.

A New Package: Merrick’s bags were yellow pinstripes over green bags that seemed to overwhelm customers with too much information, and their product boxes had become synonymous with plaid. The new packaging had to pop off the shelves and portray a friendlier, more human aesthetic. Removing any type of pet imagery on the products, a softer approach was taken by replacing them with illustrations of the ingredients and wholesome product shots.

What's In A Name: We developed a line of unique, nourishing product names that appeal to the purchaser, such as “Grammy’s Pot Pie,” “Cowboy Cookout,” “Turducken,” and “Thanksgiving Day Dinner.” Each flavor is named in a nontraditional pet food sense that made storeowners and consumers take notice. The holistic can entrees read like a menu at a five star gourmet restaurant!

The Results

Retailers immediately embraced the new look, and the feedback was amazing. Stores began seeing an increase in sales and even caught on using Merrick boxes to sell cheaper product in order to capitalize on the brand and packaging.

Merrick became known as an innovator in the pet food packaging, being stylistically copied by numerous companies in the industry.

Picked as “20 Top Innovator Leaders” by Petfood Industry Magazine

Named in Texas A&M’s Top 100 Aggie-owned businesses in two consecutive years

In 5 years, Merrick grew from 2,000 retailers to 6,000 to become the best selling natural treat line and the top selling natural holistic dog cans at pet specialty.

Sales soared over 1400% in just 4 years.