Carling Redesigns Its Can for the First Time in 30 Years, and Bets the Fixture Still Remembers It

Carling is rolling out the biggest redesign of its cans and multipacks in three decades, and the brand is being careful to call it a refresh rather than a reinvention. The new badge leans on illustrations tied to the Carling Brewery, the British barley that goes into the beer, and Burton upon Trent, the English brewing town the whole operation calls home. It’s already on shelves: Carling Black Label picked up the new look when it launched in March, and the rest of the range will catch up over the coming months.

Molson Coors, which owns Carling in the UK, is pairing the packaging change with a bigger marketing budget and a new above-the-line campaign tied to football, leaning on Carling's role as Official Beer Partner of the Emirates FA Cup. Ryan McLaughlin, brand director for Carling, made the case for restraint over reinvention: “Familiarity matters at the beer fixture,” he said, noting the design kept the elements shoppers already recognize. For retailers, he added, the payoff is simpler: “a well-known lager with greater visibility on shelf.”

It’s a sensible bet for a brand whose entire job is to be recognized in under a second from across a cooler aisle, and 30 years between redesigns suggests Carling isn’t about to start taking risks with the formula now.

Source: Packaging Europe

Kyle Duford, Founder & Editor, BRNDWIRE. More from Kyle →