The story: Shure, a respected brand of pro audio equipment, noticed that consumers were purchasing its professional earphones to use with their iPods. Seizing the opportunity, the brand repackaged its earphones for the consumer electronics market.

The goal: After two years at retail, Shure wanted the packaging overhaul to leverage its iconic status as a professional audio equipment brand—and to more clearly differentiate it from a flood of less established competitors.

The challenge: Current packaging featured a bright red color and circular pattern that, while visually compelling, didn’t align with the professional positioning of the brand.

The solution: With the help of MiresBall, Shure adopted a two-phase approach. As part of an interim solution, the brand retained the clamshell format for its entry- and mid-level products while designers researched the best form factors for the channel. Performance imagery and a heritage statement were added to emphasize the Shure legacy.

A rich color palette, which aligns with the brand’s reputation for quality, was also selected for the interim packaging. A burnished red evolved from the existing consumer red, while the addition of blue and black ties the packaging back to the corporate identity. Color and benefits statements were added to communicate product tiering. Overall, the Shure identity is simplified and more prominently positioned for better brand “read”.

For the final packaging, the tagline “Legendary Performance” positions Shure against newly minted competitors, emphasizing the brand’s history and quality. The new form factor is more premium in appearance—and more economical and environmentally friendly. To aid in shoppability, product tiering is further amplified through color and scale of product information.

The results: The new packaging has been well received, and MiresBall continues to retool the brand’s consumer electronics packaging; next project is to revamp packaging for Shure’s new iPod speakers.