Global packaging redesign adds 100MM to Hill’s topline

Hill’s Science Diet has long been a key pillar of the Hill’s Pet Nutrition portfolio. But while our product was excellent, our packaging was not delivering on the product promise. Science – so core to the value proposition – was coming across as cold and sterile. Our food communication was not working hard enough (low taste appeal) and overall there was very little emotional connection with users (pet parents).

We partnered with brand design agency Beardwood & Co to reimagine Hill’s Science Diet and transform our business. We talked with pet parents from the beginning – embracing design research and empathy-led creativity. Collaborating closely with key business stakeholders, we aligned to doubled-down on our science heritage, showcase our food and celebrate our pets through beautiful, ‘larger than life’ photography that captured happy, healthy pets full of life and personality.

After commitment from senior stakeholders, we began the complex task of the design system across across hundreds of pieces of artwork, around the world.

Our Hill’s Science Diet redesign launched in 2019. In its first year it created an additional 100MM in topline revenue (no formula, channel, or pricing change). The love and connection pet parents felt for their pets was captured in the new design system leading to a transformation in sales performance for our physical retail and e-commerce sales environments.

Hill’s Science Diet relaunch is a great example of good design being good business.

Outcome
Our emotion-rich brand redesign and packaging system drove growth and won awards. The success of Hill’s Science Diet’s redesign has transformed how Colgate-Palmolive approaches design, and the value it places on it.

In 2019, at the relaunch of Science Diet, Hill’s was a 2.2BB business. Now in early 2024, Hill’s is on pace to be a 4.5BB business. There are many reasons for the growth of course, but great design and adding emotion to our already excellence science story is undeniably a part of the growth.

Further reading

https://beardwood.com/work/hills-science-diet/

https://www.designalytics.com/insights/the-story-behind-hills-science-diets-100-million-dollar-redesign

https://packagingoftheworld.com/2019/03/hills-science-diet-redesign.html