Branding Smartly

On October 14, Target introduced their newest owned brand, Smartly. Smartly features a range of over 70 household items, ranging from dishwasher powder to shaving cream. With prices ranging from $0.59 to $11.99, and most products costing less than $2, Smartly is definitely a budget brand. Target hopes to draw price-minded consumers to Smartly, promising products that get the job done and are attractive to display around the home. Target also sets Smartly apart from other household products with a fresh, clean look. Read on for our thoughts on Smartly’s branding.

Smartly’s branding is all about minimalism. Minimalism is all the rage these days, especially with the recent popularity of the KonMari Method. The packaging design plays into the concept of minimalism with basic shapes, subtle pastels, and minimal text. The use of the typeface Helvetica is clean, modern, and inviting to the consumer.

Even while keeping packaging design as minimalist as possible, Smartly still has a clear brand voice. Each product features a short line of copy that gives the consumer more information about the product; the tone is down-to-earth and sometimes a bit tongue-in-cheek. A bottle of Smartly’s Liquid Hand Soap “Smells like rain”, while their Lemon Scent Dishwasher Gel “Does the dirty work”.

What Target has done with Smartly is nothing particularly revolutionary or exciting, but it’s refreshing to see household products that a consumer would actually want to display. The market already has so many household products that, while effective, are not something that you’d want to see on your bathroom counter. Smartly trades gaudy labels and obnoxious colors for clean, well-designed products that are pleasant and unobtrusive. Overall, Smartly’s packaging design does a great job of conveying the brand’s purpose: inexpensive, functional products that don’t distract from the rest of your home.

Just like its products, Smartly’s branding simply gets the job done. If nothing else, it lives up to Target’s mantra: “Expect More, Pay Less”.