Southern Comfort expands makeover to RTDs

Southern Comfort has redesigned the packaging of its ready-to-drink range for the Australia and New Zealand markets amid declining sales.

Southern Comfort is aiming to reignite sales in Australia and New Zealand with new packaging for its RTD range

The Brown-Forman owned brand partnered with the JDO Brand & Design agency to create the new design, said to “leverage the global visual identity” of Southern Comfort’s Whatever’s Comfortable campaign.

“The Southern Comfort RTD secondary packs needed to celebrate the newly designed primary packs and echo the brand’s personality embracing its strong, comfortable character and stand out from the crowd,” said Ray Smith, JDO creative director

“The RTD bottle and can are shot with epic perspective against an endless sky and rendered in low-fi colours to deliver the confident effortless attitude that the brand has running through its DNA.”

Brown-Forman said the “eye catching” packaging targets growth in Australia – the world’s largest RTD market, accounting for 60% of sales in the category.

Earlier this year, Southern Comfort redesigned its entire core range and released a new Caramel Comfort expression.

The liqueur has struggled to reignite sales in recent years, reporting a 5% decline in underlying net sales in 2014. Brown-Forman has attributed the performance to “pressure” from the growth in the flavoured whiskey category.

Overall, the group reported 8% sales decline in Australia last year due to a “challenging economic backdrop, weak consumer confidence, and a continued consumer shift away from highly taxed spirits”.