The illusion of innovation: When new products and redesigned packs don’t solve a real problem
创新的假象：当新产品和重新设计的包装无法解决实际问题时

In today’s competitive marketplace, brands feel pressure to remain relevant by keeping up with the latest trends. This pressure can lead to companies frequently redesigning or launching products in order to be perceived as modern and up to date.
在当今竞争激烈的市场中，品牌感受到了通过紧跟最新潮流来保持相关性的压力。这种压力会导致公司频繁地重新设计或推出产品，以便让人觉得它们是现代的、与时俱进的。

However, chasing trends without truly understanding what is driving changing consumer needs or long-term behaviour shifts can result in wasted efforts and missed opportunities.
然而，追逐趋势而不真正了解是什么在推动消费者需求的变化或长期行为的转变，可能会导致努力白费和错失良机。

The trend trap  趋势陷阱

In product design, there is often pressure to refresh packaging in the hope of attracting attention. The Ehrenberg-Bass Institute analysed case studies and survey responses from 569 brand managers, finding that the most common trigger for redesigns is the belief that a brand looks outdated.
在产品设计中，经常会面临更新包装的压力，希望以此吸引眼球。艾伦伯格-巴斯研究所分析了案例研究和 569 位品牌经理的调查反馈，发现重新设计的最常见诱因是认为品牌看起来过时了。

However, without clear evidence of changing consumer needs, redesigns based on surface-level trends frequently fail to deliver.
然而，如果没有消费者需求变化的明确证据，基于表面趋势的重新设计往往会失败。

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have both previously updated their flagship products in response to an increase in health awareness among consumers. This wasn’t achieved by simply redesigning the graphics on pack, but rather by launching Coca-Cola Life and Pepsi Next. These soft drinks used stevia to reduce the sugar content and were marketed as healthier alternatives. Yet both initiatives failed to gain traction and were pulled from shelves not long after launch. Why? Because consumers weren’t just looking for “healthier” versions of existing products – these already existed in products like Coke Zero and Pepsi Max. Instead, there was a shift in behaviour towards new, healthier drink categories like sparkling water, cold brews, and kombucha.
可口可乐公司和百事可乐公司都曾因消费者健康意识的提高而更新过旗舰产品。这并不是通过简单地重新设计包装上的图案来实现的，而是通过推出可口可乐 Life 和百事可乐 Next 来实现的。这些软饮料使用甜菊糖来降低糖分含量，并将其作为更健康的替代品进行营销。然而，这两项举措都未能获得消费者的青睐，在推出后不久就下架了。原因何在？因为消费者并不只是在寻找现有产品的 "更健康 "版本--在零度可乐和百事可乐 Max 等产品中已经存在。相反，消费者的行为转向了新的、更健康的饮料类别，如气泡水、冷饮和昆布茶。

Trends are tempting. As marketers, you see your brand day in, day out. Of course you’re ready for a refresh. But chances are, consumers are not.
趋势是诱人的。作为营销人员，您每天都能看到自己的品牌。当然，你已经做好了更新换代的准备。但很可能消费者还没有准备好。

Chasing trends without truly understanding consumer motivations can waste time and resources. One recent example that stood out to us is from New Zealand’s iconic biscuit brand, Griffins. In April of 2025, it removed the much-loved Cookie Bear character from its packaging after 57 years on shelf. According to the Otago Daily Times, the goal was likely to modernise the design, appeal to an older audience, and improve shelf visibility. But the result left many consumers confused and disappointed.
在没有真正了解消费者动机的情况下追逐潮流，会浪费时间和资源。新西兰标志性饼干品牌格里芬斯（Griffins）最近的一个例子令我们印象深刻。2025 年 4 月，Griffins 从其包装上撤下了深受消费者喜爱的 Cookie Bear（饼干熊）卡通形象。据《奥塔哥每日时报》（Otago Daily Times）报道，这样做的目的可能是为了使设计现代化，吸引老年消费者，并提高货架的可见度。但结果却让许多消费者感到困惑和失望。

It has been observed that when brands remove a long-standing character asset from their packaging, they reduce the distinctiveness of the pack, making it harder for shoppers to recognise.
据观察，当品牌从其包装中移除一个长期存在的特色资产时，就会降低包装的独特性，使购物者更难识别。

Unsurprisingly, such changes often spark strong backlash. Many people expressed sadness over the loss of a familiar and meaningful brand symbol.
不难理解，这种变化往往会引发强烈的反弹。许多人对失去一个熟悉而有意义的品牌标志表示悲伤。

Without that distinctive asset, the product now risks blending in with the rest of the biscuit aisle.
没有了这一独特优势，该产品现在面临着与其他饼干混为一谈的风险。

Marketers can’t ignore the opportunity of ‘new frugal innovation’  营销人员不能忽视 "节俭创新 "带来的机遇

Redesigning from consumer insights, not trends
从消费者洞察而非趋势出发重新设计

Redesigning packaging or creating a new SKU shouldn’t be driven by surface-level trends or a gut feeling that the design is out of date; they should be based on informed insights and provide an opportunity to rethink the core function to meet new needs. In other words, the misstep isn’t trying to evolve, it’s evolving without a clear understanding of where consumers’ values are headed for the long term.
重新设计包装或创建新的 SKU 不应受表面趋势或设计过时的直觉所驱使；它们应基于明智的洞察力，并提供一个重新思考核心功能以满足新需求的机会。换句话说，错误的做法不是试图进化，而是在没有清楚了解消费者的长期价值取向的情况下进行进化。

In the beverage industry, rather than tweaking existing products to make them “healthier”, brands have recently developed entirely new drink categories that meet real health needs.
在饮料行业，各品牌最近不是对现有产品进行调整使其 "更健康"，而是开发了全新的饮料类别，以满足真正的健康需求。

Coca-Cola’s Simply Pop and PepsiCo’s recent $1.95bn acquisition of Poppi mark a pivot toward prebiotic sodas that better align with the wellness trend and capture the growing health and wellness market. Though both companies missed the opportunity to tap into this product innovation earlier and opted instead for artificially sweetened alternatives, these new products better react to changes in health-conscious behaviour, ultimately offering greater long-term success.
可口可乐公司的 Simply Pop 和百事公司最近斥资 19.5 亿美元收购的 Poppi 标志着向益生菌苏打水方向的转变，这种苏打水能更好地适应健康趋势，并抓住不断增长的健康和保健市场。虽然这两家公司都错失了较早利用这一产品创新的机会，而选择了人工甜味替代品，但这些新产品能更好地顺应健康意识行为的变化，最终取得更大的长期成功。

The importance of timelessness in design
设计永恒的重要性

Successful product designs meet consumer needs and remain adaptable to long-term changes in the market. They’re not just about following trends that could change year to year, but reflect lasting values like functionality, sustainability and convenience, all while staying true to the brand’s identity.
成功的产品设计既能满足消费者的需求，又能适应市场的长期变化。成功的产品设计不仅要追随可能逐年变化的潮流，还要体现功能性、可持续性和便利性等持久价值，同时忠实于品牌形象。

Take Apple’s iPhone design or Adidas’s trainers: these products continuously evolve and integrate new technologies, yet retain the core design and functional elements that make them distinctive in the minds of the consumers. Their products don’t chase short-term trends but anticipate what consumers will need next and keep their brand identity consistent.
以苹果公司的 iPhone 设计或阿迪达斯的运动鞋为例：这些产品不断发展并整合新技术，但仍保留了核心设计和功能元素，使其在消费者心目中独树一帜。它们的产品不追逐短期潮流，而是预测消费者的下一个需求，并保持品牌形象的一致性。

Make informed design decisions
做出明智的设计决策

Trends are tempting. As marketers, you see your brand day in, day out. Of course you’re ready for a refresh. But chances are, consumers are not.
趋势是诱人的。作为营销人员，您每天都能看到自己的品牌。当然，你已经做好了更新换代的准备。但很可能消费者还没有准备好。

Good redesigns are based on insights, not impulse. A strong, distinctive asset palette allows brands to modernise without losing their identity. It ensures recognition remains high, even when adapting to new formats, trends or product ranges.
好的重新设计基于洞察力，而非一时冲动。一个强大、独特的资产调色板可以使品牌在现代化的同时不失其特性。即使在适应新形式、新趋势或新产品系列时，它也能确保品牌保持较高的辨识度。

Whether it’s removing a beloved mascot from pack, launching a new product variant, or just refreshing the graphic design, brands should be asking: Do we have evidence that this will solve a real problem? What are consumers seeking that our current product offerings don’t provide? Are we reacting to a trend or evolving with changing consumer behaviour?
无论是从包装中移除深受喜爱的吉祥物，还是推出新的产品变体，抑或只是刷新平面设计，品牌都应该问一问：我们是否有证据表明这将解决实际问题？消费者在寻找什么，而我们目前的产品却无法提供？我们是在顺应潮流，还是随着消费者行为的变化而发展？

The best approach isn’t to mimic the latest trend or repeat a successful design from past case studies, but to consider the broader needs of consumers.
最好的方法不是模仿最新潮流或重复过去案例中的成功设计，而是考虑消费者更广泛的需求。

Keep an eye on emerging product categories that could provide opportunities to meet evolving consumer demands. In a constantly changing world, the brands that succeed are those that look forward, not just back at what worked in the past, while staying anchored by a consistent brand identity built through their distinctive assets.
密切关注新兴产品类别，它们可以为满足消费者不断变化的需求提供机会。在一个不断变化的世界里，成功的品牌都是那些向前看的品牌，而不仅仅是回顾过去的成功经验，同时通过其独特的资产保持一致的品牌形象。

Brooke Klement and Dr Will Caruso are senior marketing scientists at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute of Marketing Science. 
布鲁克-克莱门特（Brooke Klement）和威尔-卡鲁索（Will Caruso）博士是艾伦伯格-巴斯营销科学研究所（Ehrenberg-Bass Institute of Marketing Science）的资深营销科学家。