Ginger and the Lost Weekend

While recovering from the flu recently I craved ginger chew candies. Not only were they soothing for a sore throat and queasy stomach, they provided an opportunity to compare two very different branding approaches for the same product.

The mascot for Ginger People's Ginger Chews is an anthropomorphic ginger root rendered in a realistic style. The happy little cannibal smiles as he snacks on what's essentially the boiled carcasses of others of his species. Cute, but a little disturbing. On the other hand, I love the GP logotype - modern and evocative of the Eastern roots of ginger confections.

Chimes ginger chew candies come in an old-fashioned tin. The long history of the company is emphasized by the elaborate early-1900s style artwork on the packaging. Three stylized moon faces along the side of the tin represent three important qualities of the candies - Smooth, Energizing and Satisfying. It's debatable how successful these drawings are. "Energizing" looks positively rabid enlarged on the front of the tin.

Neither brand of candy is easy to find here in Toronto. However, the Ginger People's ginger root character is easily identifiable in the handful of stores that carry their products. Although the Chimes tin looks interesting, I passed it by a couple of times before taking the time to pick it up and read it.

There's a reason why packaging design has become more simple and streamlined over the years!