by Maria Dubuc President MBD & Alison Hom Engleson, Director of Operations MBD

It would be easy for PriceSmart to maintain the status quo with their private brand, Member’s Selection. It’s an enormously popular and trusted brand throughout the twelve countries and one U.S. Territory that PriceSmart has a presence in and has long been considered a success for the retailer, which is the largest operator of membership warehouse clubs in Central America, the Caribbean and Colombia.

But instead of complacency, PriceSmart chose to look ahead to what their members will expect in coming years and chose to redesign Member’s Selection in a way that illustrates the high level of quality and innovation members can expect from Member’s Selection, a brand already known and loved for the value it offers to PriceSmart members.

We are so pleased to partner with PriceSmart as their agency for this brand redesign. The challenge was huge, but so was the opportunity. Member’s Selection is not only immensely popular, but it also is a mainstay in PriceSmart members’ homes. It’s one thing to redesign a struggling brand- fixing known issues and outdated design are easy wins. It’s quite another thing to improve a brand that’s already a success!

PriceSmart’s Member’s Selection brand has always put high quality and value first, and PriceSmart members know that. Our task was to assure members that the quality and value they know and love is here to stay, while adding a feel of innovation to the brand. We want to tell members that PriceSmart is staying at the forefront of the industry to get them the best products at the best value, while keeping the brand and products they already love.

The resulting design speaks to customers in a way that’s friendly, fresh and inviting — keeping existing trust while adding that innovative feel to the brand. A category-specific design strategy drives this home and ensures members that PriceSmart is bringing them the best possible product in each category. And bright colors and lively imagery on clean white backgrounds reinforce these qualities and even freshen up the feel of PriceSmart clubs. After all, in a club environment where private brands have a large share of shelf space, a private brand redesign can change the customer shopping experience in a big way.

It’s a gamble to shake up a large, successful private brand program, but we’re proud that PriceSmart put their faith in MBD as their agency and that we continue to earn their trust after over eight years of working together. With this new redesign, PriceSmart showed its members that it puts their experience first. In that way, Member’s Selection has gone back to its roots- putting members first and showing them that it will continue to earn their trust and a place in their homes.

PET FOOD
This design puts what matters to members front and center: highquality ingredients and happy pets. The imagery is bright and lively, and it pops against the white background and bold variety colors.

POPCORN
PriceSmart wanted a nostalgic feel with a modern twist that stands out in a category with many repeated themes. This design delivers on the theme while staying modern and on-brand.

ALKALINE WATER
This sporty look with a punchy color scheme makes a strong impression in club, while specific callouts show customers that the product has the features they’re looking for.

MASSAGE TABLE
PriceSmart not only caters to households, but to small business owners as well. This is an example of a product that appeals to both types of members. The design shows all the features of the product while still keeping the imagery as the main focus.

ORGANIC GRANOLA
This refreshed design kept the colors and feel of an already successful product. The fonts and callouts are simplified and the title kept on a clean background to make this pop on shelf.

WHOLE ALMONDS
A bulk item is modernized with a punchy, playful feel. Illustrations and photography work together to make this stand out in a category that often fades into the background in-club.

APPLE JUICE
A previously crowded, illustration-heavy design was simplified to give the title and Member’s Selection logo more room to breathe. The result is a fresh-feeling design that looks great in-club and in members’ homes.

Maria Dubuc A creative and workflow expert in the retail landscape, Maria’s 30- year career translates branding experiences into eye-catching design that is unique and distinct for each client. She has created new private brands and redesigned/repositioned existing brands with leading retailers, while also implementing workflow management systems specifically tailored to the clients’ needs. With SKU counts from 1,000 to more than 10,000 annually, Maria focuses on scalable design excellence, and large private brand portfolios reinvention and innovative execution.

Alison Hom Engleson Alison joined the Marketing by Design team in 2016. After managing over 2,500 projects for large retail brands, including PriceSmart, she took on the challenge of the role of Director of Operations and now spends her time supporting MBD employees and ensuring that MBD’s clients receive the best work possible.