Brandon brings ‘health and wellbeing for feet’ to life with Flexitol rebrand

London-based branding agency, Brandon, launched a new brand identity for foot and skincare brand, Flexitol, with the aim of brining the brand’s revised proposition of ‘health and wellbeing for feet’ to life on pack.

Brandon’s challenge was to make the brand relevant in consumers’ lives, with the aim of driving brand reappraisal across its entire range of products and not just its star Heel Balm product.

“The category is very much functionally driven as people don’t generally think of their feet until there’s a problem to treat. Other brands benefit from their dry skin credentials, but Flexitol is rooted in efficacy and expertise, with on-pack product descriptors reinforcing this perception. As a result, people felt that Flexitol wasn’t for them –‘it’s for someone with a medical issue so why would I use it,’” says Louise Kennedy, strategy director at Brandon

To allow Flexitol to break free from this medical perception, Brandon looked into how science and efficacy are communicated across other categories, from deodorant to skin and hair. The agency then created the brand territory of ‘the beauty of science’ to keep the brand’s roots in efficacy but move it into more of a wellbeing space. This was in line with its new proposition and its desire to encourage a more proactive footcare regime amongst consumers.

On pack, the foot image is retained, but switched to a line drawing of the sole of the foot, aiming to show the product’s intended use in a more contemporary and ‘cool science’ inspired way, rather than ‘clinical’ science.

“Our research showed that the on-pack descriptors (such as ‘symptoms of foot anhidrosis’) were confusing and contributed to the perception that Flexitol was for problem feet. We therefore split the range based on the consumer benefit, using language such as rescue, restoring, or rapid revive and new product descriptors in similarly clear and user-friendly language to highlight the range of products available and to help consumers identify the best product for them,” Kennedy explains.

The new design retains brand elements that existing customers find familiar, but it aims to moves the brand on by positioning it as an essential part of proactive footcare, rather than a more reactive treatment.

“The packaging now clearly communicates the end benefit to the consumer and illustrates how all of our products can be relevant in a wider range of consumers’ lives, ultimately delivering us the brand reappraisal that we’re seeking,” says Jo Marshall, head of insight and innovation at Thorton & Ross, owner of Flexitol.