AddisonaIA pause for thoughtrefreshing one of America's most beloved brands: Morton Salt. Addison developed the key brand positioning and branding for the 100th anniversary. Pause for Think has designed a new logo and will soon release the packaging.
The company is launching a year-long campaign in honor of the Morton Salt Girl, who celebrates 100 years as the face of the brand in 2014. Morton Salt is also rebranding this year, updating its logo and introducing a new packaging design system.
The Morton Salt Girl has been a guest in hearts and homes across America for 100 years, and people still trust her to be a part of their life experiences. That's because it's more than just a symbol of our brand. It's the American way of life.
-Christian Herrmann, CEO of Morton Salt
The birth of an image
It was 1914 when the girl with the umbrella appeared on Morton Salt's famous blue round wrapper and in a print advertisement in the October issue of Good Housekeeping. The Morton Salt Girl slogan and "When It Rains It Pours®" originated a century ago for the company's national advertising campaign to show that Morton Salt could flow freely even in wet weather, a major product innovation at the time.
It has since been developed to serve as a trust mark for the entire line of Morton Salt products for consumer and industrial applications. And it continues to be a source of inspiration. Even after 100 years, its appeal has stood the test of time as children and adults alike continue to bring it to life in parades, costume balls, school art and science projects, and on social media.
"The Morton Salt Girl has been in America's hearts and homes for 100 years," Herrmann said. "And still people trust that this is part of their life experience. That's because it's more than just a symbol of our brand. It's the American way of life.
From birth to rebranding
Like his iconic girlfriend, Morton Salt is an American icon. After 165 years, it is still one of the oldest and best-known brands in the country. But even iconic brands need updating.
"Morton Salt has evolved as a company and a brand since it introduced the famous blue packet of table salt a century ago," said Herrmann. "Today, we're enhancing everyday experiences in more ways and places than ever before with a full line of cooking salts, ice melters, fabric softeners, Epsom salts and even business and industrial salts."
He added: "To mark the company's continued growth, this milestone year was the perfect opportunity to refresh the Morton Salt brand with an updated logo and packaging design."
Logo
• The Morton Salt logo is widely recognized by its bold "Morton Salt" wordmark. The new logo now features a fresh and friendly typeface, while retaining the leading features of the original wordmark, namely the bold style of capital letters. The "R" in the new "Morton" wordmark also has a slight accent that mimics the Morton Salt Girl stride. • In addition to the wordmark, the company updated the Morton Salt Girl icon as part of the rebrand – but in small, subtle ways. The new Morton Salt Girl has a cleaner, streamlined line that better matches the new "Morton Salt" wordmark.
"We are constantly listening to consumers to ensure we continue to meet their changing needs," said Herrmann. "Thanks to our recent market research, we know that the Morton Salt Girl is synonymous with the brand and its timeless, classic look continues to be appreciated by today's consumers. But we also knew there was an opportunity to make the brand look and feel more modern and accessible."
Emballage design
Along with the new logo, Morton Salt is also introducing a new packaging design system for its consumer products starting in the first quarter of 2014. The new design system retains the iconic elements of the Morton brand while using modern typefaces and simpler communication hierarchies. .
The new design system will be applied to all Morton's consumer products. For Morton's iconic iodized and regular table salt products, exclusive to 2014, the company is unveiling a new Morton logo with birthday graphics in honor of the Morton Salt Girl's 100th birthday. This limited edition package will be available at retail and convenience stores nationwide.
Morton Salt will also mark this groundbreaking year with the first of many product innovations to come. In 2014, the company launched two products: Morton® Garlic Sea Salt, an industry first; and Morton® Mills for sea salt, sea salt, roasted garlic and black pepper in elegant glass bottles ready to be served. These products will be available nationwide in 2014.
Historie Morton Salt Girl
Since the introduction of anti-caking salt in 1911, the Morton Salt Company has sought to develop a concept that properly reflects this innovative property. To solve this problem, Morton hired the advertising agency N.W. Ayer and Company develop a marketing campaign to promote their salt's anti-caking properties. As a result, she has become one of the brand's most iconic and enduring characters of all time.
Although many designs were proposed, an alternative idea that was initially ignored was noted by Sterling Morton, son of founder Joy Morton. The idea was that a young 8-year-old with an umbrella accidentally spilled salt while walking in the rain.
While this idea demonstrated the value and innovation of Morton anti-caking salt, it also added a symbol of innocence and purity. The Morton Salt Company has adopted a new slogan, "When it rains, it pours." inspired by a well-known saying of the time.
The ad debuted in a series of Good Housekeeping commercials in 1914, and that's when the Morton Salt Girl was introduced to the world.
To keep up with the fashion of the times, the Morton Salt Girl got a refreshed look after its debut seven years ago. Her curly hair was straight and dark and she gave her a wide and kind smile. 1921 also saw the first case of inverted leg, a trait that continues to this day.
In 1933, the Morton Salt Girl curls made a comeback, which some believe was the result of the rise of child star Shirley Temple, who wore a similar hairstyle. Therefore, the 1933 version of Morton Salt Girl is referred to by many as the "Shirley Temple version".
In 1941, the Morton Salt Girl adopted its first color variant. The yellow dress they gave her is now as associated with her as the salt and umbrella she wears. Additionally, updates to her hair design added golden blonde braids and removed the prominent bow from previous versions.
15 years after the color was first added, even more yellow was added when the Morton Salt Girl began carrying a yellow umbrella. Its overall appearance was simplified and lightened for a more attractive hue that matched the changes to the round Morton Salt box, including the addition of yellow to the top and bottom of the package.
1968 brought the Morton Salt Girl some of the most significant design changes since its inception in 1914. In March of this year, "America's Favorite 8-Year-Old" was reintroduced to the world with short, flowing hair and a high heel. tapered, short yellow dress. He also looked elsewhere at the label for the first time.
This version of the Morton Salt Girl is best known to consumers today and has since been a staple in households around the world.
While 2014 is the year of the Morton Salt Girl's 100th birthday celebration, it is also a year of minor updates and tweaks to her appearance.
The Morton Salt logo is widely recognized by its bold "Morton Salt" letters. The new logo now features a fresh and friendly typeface, while retaining the leading features of the original wordmark, namely the bold style of capital letters. The "R" in the new "Morton" wordmark also has a little kick to mimic the Morton Salt Girl stride.
In addition to the wordmark, Morton Salt Girl has been updated in a small, subtle way. The new Morton Salt Girl has a cleaner, streamlined line that better matches the new "Morton Salt" wordmark.
Enjoy logo (top) and previous logo (bottom)
Campaign mark 100 years
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