Company name change led to package revisions for all products. MIIDEL was very active in handling massive design changes!

Lipton Tea and Infusion Japan Service Co., Ltd.

Interviewees

Lipton Tea and Infusion Japan Service Co., Ltd.
Marketing
Brand Manager
Mr. Kotaro Hisatami

Lipton is a globally famous tea brand that delivers delicious tea easily through a wide range of products including tea bags, PET bottles, paper packs, and chilled cups. This time, we spoke with Mr. Kotaro Hisatami, the brand manager of their core product "Yellow Label."

MIIDEL (hereafter M): "Yellow Label" is a major brand that everyone has seen at least once. How do you utilize MIIDEL in your brand management work?

Mr. Hisatami (hereafter without honorific):Not only for Lipton, but consumer goods manufacturers have the task of "reading alignment" for package designs. When the design company submits a design, we check whether the information listed there matches the information we manage internally. Usually, some slight differences appear. After sending it back with a request to "please correct," when the revised design comes out, we used to compare the revised and original designs to confirm that only the necessary changes were made. Since introducing MIIDEL, even small differences can be quickly found, reducing mistakes and, most importantly, saving time.

M: Before MIIDEL, was the "reading alignment" task really difficult?

Kutami:Previously, it was mandatory to carefully check in pairs, but after introducing MIIDEL, one person can easily do it alone. Revised designs can be the third or fourth version, and if it's just one product, it's fine, but for a total relaunch, the number can be 40 or 50. If it takes two people 15 minutes to check one product, imagine that many. When the volume is large, it really becomes tough and concentration wanes, so having MIIDEL is really helpful in that regard.

The vivid packaging of "Yellow Label" that stands out in cafe scenes

M: So there are times when 40 to 50 products are changed all at once.

Kutami:Yes, that happens. Sometimes the company name changes. Recently, the company name changed to "Lipton Tea and Infusion Japan Service Co., Ltd.", so this is exactly when MIIDEL comes into play. We are using it a lot there now.

M: A company name change means all products, right...? That sounds tough. In such cases, only the company name should be changed, right?

Kutami:The company name part and, to be precise, the code (number sequence) for each material on the back of the package are changed. Even a slight change in package design changes that as well, but we carefully confirm that the correct information is included, even if it does not directly affect the customer.

M: In brand management, comparison checks are a very important responsibility. Are there specific busy periods throughout the year?

Kutami:In the consumer goods industry, the timing for new product releases is generally fixed, usually in March and September each year. Package designs are created accordingly, so busy periods are roughly determined. Also, when certification marks or other marks change. I believe other companies also find this challenging. However, checks that used to take two people over 10 minutes per product can now be done by one person in 1 to 2 minutes with MIIDEL, which is a significant time saving.

M: Are the comparisons done mainly on PDF files with MIIDEL?

Kutami:So far, it's 100% PDF-to-PDF comparisons. We compare the before and after PDF files with MIIDEL, then compile instructions on what needs to be corrected based on the results and send them back to the designers. Besides packages, there are cases where we compare press releases created by PR companies before and after revisions.

M: I see. This kind of usage would be helpful as a reference for other consumer goods manufacturers as well.

Kutami:Yes, I recommend MIIDEL to people in departments related to brand and marketing like myself. Even if I work at another consumer goods manufacturer, I would recommend MIIDEL saying "this software is good" and introduce it. Even if I have questions about how to use it, they always respond politely.

M: Hearing that really encourages us! We are glad to be of help to your brand.

Kutami:"Yellow Label" will also start a large campaign this November (2024). We are planning some quite interesting initiatives, so we hope many people will feel like "I want to drink Yellow Label."

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