JKR

Chupa Chups

‘First mover advantage’ is not only about being first off the drawing board; apparently American George Smith was the first to put sweeties on sticks back in 1908. Sadly for Smith, his brand fell victim to the Great Depression. Then along came Chupa Chups. As their inventor Enric Bernat noted, ‘If you can be first to do something, and you do it after due consideration, it's an advantage.’ I think the second half of that statement explains why this particular design endured and has come to be considered the definitive original.

‘Due consideration' says it all. The best design is not just a 'thing', it’s a system; of innovation, manufacture, display, navigation. It's about all the elements being thought through and working elegantly together. In Chupa Chup’s case, ‘due consideration’ meant recognising that a spherical sweet works well in the mouth, and that plastic sticks will resolve a struggle to source enough timber.

It's about the magnificent display units, which build on Salvdor Dali’s 'daisy' logo, offering up a sweetie bouquet to the buyers. With the logo sat atop the product, the rest of the tiny pack is freed up for stripy colours that deliver easy navigation and look, en masse, like a group of cheerful beach parasols.

The most sophisticated thinking is often the simplest. Delivering something as seemingly uncomplicated, yet effortlessly perfect, as the Chupa Chup requires a systematically rigorous approach to the original idea and its creative execution.

By Silas Amos, Creative Director, jkr. For the full article, see this week's copy of Marketing magazine.