Wren & Rowe look for Andresen

Wren & Rowe’s work for premium port producer JH Andresen begins rolling out next week as revamped packaging appears in stores in Germany, followed by launches in France, Canada, the US and the UK later this quarter.

The group, which created an identity for the brand last year (DW 1 August 2002), is now creating a website and marketing literature, in addition to the packaging revamp. Wren & Rowe managing director Paul Foulkes-Arellano believes the project will be worth ‘well over’ £100 000 in fees.

Foulkes-Arellano says the new-look packaging is closer to that of an Australian wine than a classic port. The design has been applied to a portfolio of 13 products, with gift boxes and duty free bags among the specific elements.

Wren & Rowe’s work has helped the brand develop a more mainstream positioning, says Foulkes-Arellano, with supermarkets now planning to stock JH Andresen on a regular basis.

‘Although it was a great product, many retailers simply wouldn’t stock it [before] because they felt the packaging looked ugly,’ Foulkes-Arellano explains. ‘The port market has gone very contemporary, the whole sector’s very design-oriented, and we’ve stripped out all the old imagery to give the brand a modern look.’

Creative director Michael Rowe and assistant creative director Luke Sudlow led the design team.