Yesterday, before I left for work, I reached into the medicine cabinet to get my toothpaste and let out a frantic “what the hell?” My roommate and I use the same brand of toothpaste (but not the same kind) and I was shocked to see that my beloved Tom’s of Maine got an identity makeover. The first thing that popped into my head as I frantically reviewed the tube was if it was still natural. “Oh, there it is…” They moved the word “natural” to the upper right hand corner and made it much, much smaller than before. Phew.
I’m not sure how I feel about this new identity and since everyone got all up in a tizzy about the new Gap logo I thought I would share my oh-so-valued opinion about Tom’s. I mean, I know they became part of the Colgate-Palmolive Company in 2006 but I continue to buy Tom’s products because I don’t feel like they are a Colgate-Palmolive company. Now, not so much. After I brushed my teeth I wandered onto their website to find that they have rebranded everything. Typically when something shifts from a natural color to pure white I stop thinking organic. Things that are pure white (like printer paper) have been heavily treated with chemicals and bleaches to get it that way. I’m going to have a tough time reaching for a tube of toothpaste in the new, white box.
If anything, Tom’s of Maine just jumped on the “it’s cool to be trendy eco-friendly and natural” bandwagon. I only know this because of the new “Wicked Fresh!” flavor.
jim
October 27, 2010
Hi Jacy!
My name is Jim and I work at Tom’s of Maine. I saw your comment on my Tom’s Twitter feed and was curious about your opinion on the new package graphics for Tom’s.
I appreciate your open and candid feedback. Anytime you take on changing things like this you run the risk of upsetting people. I’ve have been at Tom’s for nearly 8 years and since the package you are used to seeing was made — just before I started — we have had a lot of feedback about making our products easier to find and tell apart from each other stores (particularly places like Whole Foods where we are fortunate to have several items). We also had a lot of feedback that the carton didn’t do justice to how well the products work — stuff like… “I love the product but a brownish box doesn’t exactly make me feel like I’ll have clean, healthy teeth”. Finally, we have always believed that you should have the information to make your own decisions and we are aware that in today’s world it can sometimes be difficult to tell the difference between brands that are positioning themselves as “green” versus having always been about doing the best they can for people’s health, communities and the planet. That’s one of the reasons we added “Since 1970” to our logo.
Anyway sorry for the long reply. I’m sorry it is not working for you. Please know that we did check-in with hundreds of our current users, like you, and the feedback was very positive. BUT that doesn’t mean everyone will love it!
Hope you have a great day, and I hope you will continue to be a part of the Tom’s community!
Best,
Jim
jacy
October 27, 2010
Hi Jim,
Thanks for responding. As a consumer, it’s always nice to be acknowledged even if an opinion is not in favor of the product. After I posted this yesterday I looked at your new site and found this blog entry: http://www.tomsofmaine.com/blog/blog-detail/our-new-look that was posted back in July. It seems that there is not an all positive response to the re-design which made me feel better and now I know that I am not alone. It’s been an interesting year for consumers because a lot of brands have been changing their looks and some cases have not been an improvement.
Overall, the new packaging has a cleaner look but has a lot less of an organic feel. It will probably appeal to more of an average consumer like people who shop at Fry’s or Target. I’m sad to see the word “natural” get so lost at the top. I can’t remember where it was on the old box but on the tube it was front and center for everyone to see. It’s a very balanced design and still includes pictures of herbs old customers can associate with.
Thanks,
Jacy