Dive Brief:

• Kraft Singles is rebranding for the first time in five years, including introducing new packaging with a clean, less cluttered look and easier-to-open wraps for individual slices, according to information shared with Marketing Dive.
• A bigger Singles moniker is featured on the front of the packaging along with prevalent use of a deep blue shade and a prominent golden yellow square. The new brand identity, which was developed by Jones Knowles Ritchie, will be rolled out over the course of 2023.
• Kraft Singles is one of 18 Kraft Heinz brands that have undergone design overhauls in the past three years. The rush of changes comes as the CPG marketer tries to maintain the momentum gained during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dive Insight:

The Kraft Singles refresh aims to keep the brand top of mind with vibrant new packaging at a time when high inflation is forcing consumers to explore ways to keep their grocery costs down, including by buying less-expensive private label brands.

The cheese brand is also looking to innovate to better meet consumer need. The new packaging addresses a top consumer complaint that individual slices are hard to open. In response, each slice of Kraft Singles will now be contained in a thicker clear wrapper that doesn’t tear as easily and features a flap that is slightly textured so it is easier to open. Kraft Singles is also introducing new ultra-thin and extra-thick slice variations. 

During Covid, the cheese brand saw double digit growth for the first time in five years, per press materials. To help maintain the company’s broader momentum, last fall, Kraft Heinz named a new chief growth officer, Diana Frost, who was previously head of North America disruption and Canada CMO.

Kraft Singles is just one of several brands under the Kraft Heinz umbrella that have undergone a recent refresh. Last year, Kraft rebranded its macaroni and cheese product, from Kraft Macaroni & Cheese to simply Kraft Mac & Cheese. The company also took steps to highlight the product’s nonperishable status, a key selling point as concerns of economic insecurity mount.

Recently, Kraft Heinz posted first-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street’s estimates.