From a packaging standpoint, Markham, Ontario-based Pillsbury Canada set three goals: to reinforce sensory dimensions, including taste, aroma and warmth; to include recipe ideas mentioned in the ad campaign; and to contemporize the overall look of the package. This entailed a change to Pillsbury's 32-year-old icon, the Pillsbury Dough Boy himself. "Thomas Pigeon Design (Oakville, Ontario, Canada) came up with a brilliant idea," says Douglas MacFarlane, business team leader at Pillsbury Canada. "[On the package] steam rises from the product. When it goes by the Dough Boy's nose, he is portrayed as enjoying the aroma. As opposed to just having the Dough Boy as a stamp of reassurance, he's now demonstrating the benefit of the product. It was a big step, but it was so powerful in reinforcing the sensory appeal that we went with it." Additional changes included consumer-friendly color coding: Sweet Snacks, including a new lowfat cookie and cinnamon roll, have a purple background; Dinner Breads, including rolls and breadsticks, have a blue background. It's unlikely that the Dough Boy will be enjoying any aromas in the States, however, as these packaging changes will probably affect only products from Pillsbury Canada. Introduced last October, the expanded line includes about 15 SKUs. Suggested retail price for the Sweet Snacks line is about $2.99; Dinner Breads are $1.99.
