One wee packaging change might sell more peanut butter than a new logo ever could.

Jif has unveiled its first major packaging redesign in more than 30 years.

Some people will notice the cleaner logo, bolder colours and even the larger variety names.

I see something else.

Down in the bottom corner of the label, some new stuff has slid in.

Image: Jif

The creamy variety now shows an apple slice with a dollop of peanut butter. Other varieties feature celery or a graham cracker. Beside these are three simple words:

Dip. Scoop. Spread.

That tiny addition is the smartest part of the redesign.

It expands what peanut butter is for.

For decades, many consumers have mentally filed peanut butter under one primary use: sandwiches. The PB that goes with your J.

Jif wants to widen that mental category to include snacks, lunchboxes, after-school treats and healthier alternatives to chips or cookies.

In a new campaign called “Every Jif’ing Thing,” the brand highlights its PB’s range of uses, like smoothies, yogurt bowls, and peanut noodles. 

That’s a way bigger opportunity than refreshing a logo.

One of the ideas I explore in I Need That is how products don’t compete only within their category, but against our habits.

The easiest purchase is one that already has a spot in our current routine.

By showing an apple instead of another slice of bread, Jif isn’t introducing a new product.

It’s introducing a new Jif’n occasion.

I see young companies miss this all the time.

They work tirelessly explaining what their product is.

Very few explain how it fits into our lives.

Folks are busy.

If they have to invent a use case on your behalf or try to figure the best one out, many never will.

The brands that grow fastest often take away the brain work.

They demonstrate the moment.

They suggest the ritual.

They make adoption feel … obvious. (Stop me from saying Jif’n again!)

A wedge o’ apple on your jar of PB does all three.

If you’d like help creating and marketing products people feel compelled to buy, the product marketing consultants at Graphos Product can help.