Dew Gibbons look for Boots ‘basics’

Dew Gibbons has created the packaging concept for Boots Essentials, which brings together Boots the Chemists’ everyday product ranges including shampoo, toothpaste and shower gel in a single, unified style.

The fee for the work, which involves around 400 individual products within 30 ranges, is understood to be about £100 000.

Boots senior brand manager Laura Cummins says, ‘Our aim is to rejuvenate Boots’ basic offer, which is currently seen [by consumers] as very disparate. Each category [has been] managed by a different buying team, all with different design styles. The brief was to differentiate the basics [range] and inject some Bootsness into it.’

The scale of the project was its main challenge, says Dew Gibbons creative director Shaun Dew. ‘It’s about offering a whole vision and stronger concept for those ranges people use on a daily basis. The complexity [stemmed from] crossing [several] categories,’ she says.

Dew adds, ‘Over the past two years, Boots has concentrated on promoting its premium own-label products and was losing the perception that it’s a good value place to buy basics. [Boots] is still doing basic products, but they’d become invisible within the store.’

The consultancy created the concept for the bottle shape as well as the graphics and worked with Boots’ own manufacturers to make it happen, says Cummins.

Haircare, washing and bathing and dental are the first ranges to sport the new look and will be introduced as shelves are restocked, says Cummins.

Cummins expects this process to be 95 per cent complete by the end of May. Men’s toiletries will be replaced in September, with skincare and accessories ranges replaced after that.

The consultancy, which is on the Boots roster, was appointed without a pitch.