Store Brands vs. Name Brand

When I go into CVS, Walmart or Target, I am never shy of buying the store brand. Granted there are some instances where I will buy the better stuff for example, when serving alcohol or a fresh salsa–but never the less I am all about a bargain.

To be honest, I can barely tell a difference. With that said, coming from the creative industry although the product may not have much of a difference on the inside; the outside or its packaging in most cases, has a very noticeable difference. Take a look at the examples below:

You have the well known Kraft Macaroni & Cheese to the left with its eye-catching predominately blue packaging. The photography takes up a large portion of the package with the main focus being on the spoonful of macaroni. Their branding as well as supporting claims are bold, large, and use a variety of colors. When you look to the right, you see the Great Value package. Being predominately white, that is the first noticeable difference. However, their photography seems a bit more toned down in having a simple table setting with the macaroni in a white bowl. Even though Kraft has a similar color palette, the colors on the Great Value packaging are a bit more muted. The fonts too are more generic, simple and standard. The package itself seems to have less going on– it seems dull and drab compared to the high energy that the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese box exudes.

When a major company such as Kraft spends a lot of money to produce a package, they need to charge more for their product in order to keep up their profits. Therefore in terms of a store brand, the less the company spends on the design and production of a product, the more they can afford to slash the sale price. In other words, their photography may not be as nice, they may not use as many colors or have as many windows, but when it comes to price–its better for the average consumer.

Sure there is a major difference in their packaging as well as price, but is there a difference in the taste?