Donald & Aitchison

When optical retailer Donald & Aitchison wanted to revamp its contact lens products, Brown Inc and sister marketing agency The Added Value Company were picked for the project. D&A had already embarked on a new store design and identity by Rodney Fitch, and it soon became apparent the contact lens product range needed updating too.

‘Our strategy mission was to try and simplify the range. It was confusing for consumers to work out which product goes with which type of lens. Our strategic position is about making contact lenses easier for consumers,’ says Alisdair Luxmoore, marketing director at D&A.

Brown Inc and its sister company were appointed after a three-way pitch. Luxmoore recalls a key requirement was the ability to understand the customer, but adds, ‘a large element was a competitive price’.

New packs, which are still being introduced into stores, broke away from the previous black packaging with a brighter, aqua design and new sub-brands and descriptions in keeping with the new identity. ‘Having blue as the dominant colour, with softer and more aqueous colour pallettes, is what contact lens care is all about. Black had become a bit generic in the marketplace and it wasn’t actually saying “eye care”,’ says Brown Inc director Simon Gore. The rebranding addresses the confusion surrounding contact lens products – ‘wearing lenses can be like having a science laboratory in your bathroom’.

Luxmoore says the new packs have been well received. ‘Brown Inc and the Added Value Company have developed a highly effective solution for our contact lens systems. The new packaging establishes a visual language that is unique to D&A and reaffirms our position.’