• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, May 12, 2010

Southern Comfort has unveiled a new packaging design that includes streamlined brand shield and label elements and an illustrated neck wrap. 

The brand's traditional bottle shape has been preserved, but the intricate detailing of the old labels has been replaced by graphical "lock-ups" that convey the brand's heritage and New Orleans provenance in a clearer, "more premium" treatment, in the description of the Southern Comfort Company.

Each of the three products within the Southern Comfort portfolio -- 70 Proof, 100 Proof and Special Reserve -- has its own version of the new label and individual "design cues" to differentiate it.

The brand shield on the bottle's front label has been simplified and contemporized to serve as a "new shorthand" for the brand, while it does not compete with the newly added neck wrap, the distiller notes. It features a "more subtle, stylized" cityscape of New Orleans, along with a fleur de lis and a filigree reminiscent of the city's wrought iron balconies.

The neck wrap features a commissioned illustration by award-winning illustrator Christian Northeast that mixes eclectic images of New Orleans to capture the city's culture and energy.

The bottom label has also been simplified to make it easier to read and to convey the brand's history/provenance, and bears the philosophy of Southern Comfort's creator (bartender M.W. Heron), "None Genuine But Mine." The back label now features a crescent moon encircled by the words "Inspired by the Crescent City," another reference to the brand's birthplace.

The new design, from Minneapolis-based brand design firm Cue, is based on a new brand identity system that enables flexible use of brand elements across channels and media, according to Mike Isaac, AVP, global marketing director for Southern Comfort. For example, the new brand shield "allows Southern Comfort to live online, on the back bar or on the store shelf with equally strong visibility and presence," he noted.

Bottles bearing the new look are currently being rolled out to Southern Comfort's retail accounts worldwide. Suggested retail for a 750-ml bottle of 70 Proof is $16.99.