Pearlfisher and General Mills Announce Iconic ‘90s Brands Refresh

Pearlfisher, a leading branding and design agency, announced today they have partnered with General Mills to launch a refresh for their fruit snacks portfolio, comprising three iconic brands: Gushers, Fruit By The Foot and Fruit Roll Ups. 

With nearly 40 years of heritage in making fruit snacks, General Mills’ Fruit Roll-Ups, Fruit By The Foot and Gushers have established themselves as the beloved fruit snacks made for teens. Sensing a new, enigmatic generation of teens, General Mills enlisted the expertise of Pearlfisher to help revamp their iconic brands in a way that speaks to teens’ modern reality. 

In a world where teens are still discovering their independence, managing new responsibilities and finding themselves, it’s imperative that the revitalised designs not only speak to the overarching teen experience, but that each brand is able to uniquely resonate with the specific age group they’re intended for - from early teens to early adulthood.

“Creating an expressive and immersive brand experience for each of these brands was really important to us,” said Ta’mora Fuhrmann, brand design manager for General Mills. “Brands today need the ability to connect meaningfully with consumers across a variety of touchpoints. For teens specifically, it’s imperative we fit seamlessly into their lives and deliver benefits that extend beyond the product.”

The solution was to create new designs that are bold, vibrant, and celebrate this burgeoning generation. By exciting teens’ imaginations, we’re able to offer them a friendly reminder that the world is a delicious domain that’s theirs to shape - a sweet ticket, a rite of passage, an endless opportunity to have carefree moments, let loose, and enjoy a bit of fun.

“As a team who all grew up with these iconic brands and can vividly recall our own experiences eating these snacks, it felt particularly special and incredibly nostalgic to be able to reimagine these brands for today’s teens,” reminisces Hamish Campbell, VP executive creative director at Pearlfisher. “Our consumer-first approach to brand building was especially imperative in order to not only pay homage to the cherished equities of the brands but do so in a way that celebrates the lives of these distinctive age groups and their ever-evolving interests.”

Pearlfisher’s distinctive yet flexible design system works regardless of where the brands appear. From packaging, to partnerships, to digital activations, and even seasonal expressions, the fresh relevance established by the new designs allows each brand to show up in the spaces that matter most to teens. Surprising and fun, Pearlfisher and General Mills bring new life and energy to these beloved icons with brand worlds that invite teens to snack their way.