King’s Hawaiian, maker of sweet buns and rolls that come in distinct bright-orange packaging, is retooling its branding as part of its 75th anniversary.
The company unveiled Tuesday a modernized logo and updated packaging for its products, which have grown in recent years to include snacks like pretzel bites and cinnamon rolls.
King’s Hawaiian introduced the crown logo on its packaging in 2018, with a capital serif font. The new logo is softer and friendlier: The crown is now rounded, and the brand name is written in a hand-drawn font that is “cushier,” resembling its trademark rolls, according to King’s Hawaiian chief marketing officer Raouf Moussa.
“We’re not making a left turn or doing a drastic revolution — it’s more of an evolution and modernizing our brand expression,” Moussa told CNN.
However, the company was careful not to lose the personality of the bright packaging that helps King’s Hawaiian stand out in bread aisles. The orange color is now warmer and includes a new motif inspired by native Hawaiian flowers and meant to resemble a gift.
“Obviously, (the orange) is what we’re known for and have established for a long, long time, so we’re not losing that,” Moussa said. “We’re just slightly adjusting it, making it a little warmer.”
The changes come at a challenging time for grocery sales and this category in particular. Consumers are looking to cut back their grocery spending and shift away from name brands to more affordable private-label options. Bread and rolls sales have declined by nearly 1% in the past year, according to market research firm Circana.
Moussa said King’s sales have grown year-over-year, however. Consumer packaged goods expert Nate Rosen said that’s likely because its brand identity hasn’t swayed too far from its original positioning of selling sweetly flavored rolls and buns.
“They’re not trying to reinvent themselves every five minutes, which is honestly refreshing,” Rosen told CNN. “When you bite into one of those rolls you immediately know what it is.”
Rosen, who writes the Express Checkout newsletter, said King’s Hawaiian expansion and refresh is an “update to keep things slightly modern and eye-catching while staying grounded in what made them successful.”
Still, King’s Hawaiian has been rolling out new products and advertising strategies. Last year, the company debuted television ads with former NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning that promoted sliders and pretzel bites. It’s also planning to show off the new branding during an upcoming NASCAR race with the company’s partner Joe Gibbs Racing.
The company also created a new “Bites” line when launching with miniature-sized salted soft pretzel bites. The line was inspired by feedback in recent years from consumers who said they’re are snacking on the rolls rather than using them for sandwiches.
The Bites line has been a “tremendous success from the get-go,” Moussa said.
The company plans to expand Bites, likely with miniature cinnamon rolls that are being tested in California and are selling “slightly better” than their pretzel bites.
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