What makes this Passover different from all other Passovers? It may be the box of matzoh on your kitchen table.
Manischewitz, the 136-year-old Kosher food brand synonymous with Passover, has changed its look in a bid for new customers, especially the culturally curious. The new tangerine packaging and arched logo is a full reimagining of a line of foods often consumed during the eight days a year when Jews commemorate their liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt.
The rebrand is meant to broaden its appeal to new generations, especially those who enjoy trying different cuisines, said Shani Seidman, chief marketing officer of Manischewitz’s parent company, Kayco. “We have authentically Jewish food, and we feel like there’s a lot of opportunity to invite everyone to come and explore the kosher aisle,” she said. It “should be a culinary destination.”
Manischewitz has new tangerine packaging and an arched logo. (Manischewitz)
The rollout comes just in time for Passover, which begins the evening of April 22, when many households abstain from leavened bread and turn to one of the company’s biggest products: matzoh.
Shoppers will now also find Manischewitz’s gefilte fish, egg noodles and macaroons encased in new packaging adorned with Hebrew-inspired accents, illustrated characters and hues of reds, oranges, yellows and browns.
And there are new products in the works: from cheeky merch to frozen matzoh balls and knishes.
(Manischewitz is not to be confused with Manischewitz Wines, which is a separate company.)
Privately held Kayco partnered with JKR Global, the agency behind the branding of Dunkin’, Burger King, Uber and Fanta. The creative team leaned into the brand’s Jewish roots while attempting to appeal to an audience that is “much more open to all different types of food,” said Lisa Smith, global executive creative director at JKR. “So, why not celebrate a food that is so beloved by so many and then amplify it? It’s a huge growth moment and opportunity.”
JKR conducted research among a range of consumers, from those who keep Kosher to those who are more “food curious,” Smith said, and considered designs that could be considered timeless.
“We don’t try to be trendy for trendy’s sake,” she said. Instead, they focus on capturing the essence of a brand, which came to “crave-ability, comforting, inviting and welcoming … and just amplifying them.”
The rebrand, which was three years in the making, is not without risk, especially for products that have looked the same for decades. It requires a delicate balance of avoiding “antagonizing your legacy market … and yet doing something modern enough to catch the eye of the new market,” said Barbara Kahn, a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
