The secret behind Surreal’s success: a breakdown by an award winning brand consultant
So a cereal brand has never made me stop in a supermarket before to make me take a photo but this one did, and even my boyfriend liked it. He said the rotated R was throwing him off but in like a good way? And he commented on how much it stands out on the shelf, he was like… what’s all that about?
Obviously I had to look into Surreal’s brand strategy after that. I’m a brand designer, so I notice packaging and small details all the time, but this one still made me stop what I was doing, and once I researched the thinking behind it I was even more impressed.
It’s also such a good example of something I keep talking to my clients about. A lot of business owners are scared of looking different because they don’t want to come across as unprofessional, which I understand. But when you’re trying to get noticed by people who have plenty of other businesses to choose from, creativity deserves a proper place in your strategy.
So what is Surreal’s brand strategy?
Surreal’s brand strategy combines the fun people remember from childhood cereal with nutritional benefits aimed at adults, so its playful personality gives people something to enjoy while the protein and sugar information explains why the product might suit what they want to eat now. I think that’s what makes it interesting, because there’s a clear reason for the fun and it suits the product they’re selling.
The bright colours make sense for a brand encouraging adults to enjoy cereal again, and the little character lifting cereal weights makes sense for a product selling its protein content, so you can see how the thinking behind the brand has influenced what somebody actually picks up in a supermarket.
Why does Surreal make cereal fun for adults?
What I like about this is that I think the nostalgia comes from making cereal fun for adults, giving them a way to enjoy it that also fits their nutritional priorities. My interpretation is that they’ve brought back the enjoyment of that experience through something that still looks new. If the packaging looked exactly like another cereal we all recognised, I’d probably be much more used to seeing it and less likely to stop.
And yes, make boring products for adults fun because why not? Life can be really beige sometimes, so having something bright in your cupboard that makes breakfast a bit more enjoyable is a perfectly good reason to like a brand, especially when the product also offers something useful to you.
I think the humour helps make it feel like something adults can enjoy too, because you can use bright colours and a character without making the whole thing feel like it belongs in a child’s lunchbox.
What do the details in Surreal’s packaging communicate?
The details communicate the brand’s playful personality and connect it to what the cereal offers, with the rotated R giving you something unusual to look at while still letting you read the name. I think it suits a brand that wants to be playful, and clearly it was enough to get us both talking about it.
I like that my boyfriend picked up on it without me pointing it out, because I’m used to looking closely at packaging and it was interesting to hear what stood out to him too. He noticed something unusual and wanted to understand it, which is exactly why his reaction interested me.
And even the cereal weights connect to what the product offers, which I read as a playful way of communicating the protein content, so the character has a reason to be there. They’ve thought about making it look tasty too, with the big bowl of cereal and chocolate on the front helping somebody imagine eating it. Looking at my photograph, I can understand the flavour and see the nutritional claims without turning the box around to investigate.
Can a playful brand still look professional?
Yes, a playful brand can still look professional when the creative direction suits the business and its customers, which is something I spend a lot of time explaining to clients, particularly people who have come from very corporate backgrounds. In my experience, they’re often used to environments where fitting in is rewarded and being disruptive feels risky, so when they start their own business they naturally bring some of those expectations with them.
So I find myself steering people away from another blue and white identity with generic graphics and stuffy copy full of language only their corporate world uses. If that’s how all your competitors present themselves too, what is going to make somebody remember yours? And will the people you actually want to buy understand what you’re saying?
There can be a risk in choosing an unusual creative direction, and I understand why clients worry about how people will respond. But I do think business owners need to give creativity room to do something useful, especially when they want to attract people who have never heard of them.
The approach still needs to suit the business and its audience, so when I work with my own clients I want to be able to explain why a creative direction makes sense for the people we’re trying to reach and the product or service we want them to buy. If you’re unsure what that should look like for your business, my £60 Visibility Consultation gives us time to look at what you’re doing now and work out what needs attention.
What's the secret behind Surreal's success?
So apparently they tested the earlier packaging with people in their target audience who hadn’t heard of the brand, recreating a buying situation to see whether people noticed the packs and understood the products. That research helped shape the design you see in stores now, and I’m really impressed by brands who do their research because it’s so important.
The people who run a business already know what they sell, understand the jokes and know the benefits, so they can easily assume someone seeing the packaging for the first time will understand it too. Testing it with people who don’t have that knowledge helps you see whether you’re actually communicating what you think you are.
A lot of marketing involves testing and responding, so although I can do a huge amount of research before developing a brand, I still want to know what happens when actual customers encounter it. If people repeatedly misunderstand something, that gives us information we can use to improve it.
What should audience research actually tell you?
Audience research should help you understand what people buy and what could stop them choosing your business, because when I talk about knowing your audience I want information that helps us make decisions. What are they already buying, and why do they choose those products? What content are they consuming? What would make them hesitate before buying yours?
This is where an audience persona can actually be useful, meaning a description of a typical customer based on what you’ve learned about your audience, but I want it to tell me something useful about their buying habits. Their age might matter if it helps explain the references they recognise or where we can reach them, but a generic description of an imaginary person won’t do much on its own.
For example, if someone likes the idea of a protein cereal but expects it to taste disappointing, making the flavour look appealing becomes relevant. If they’re worried about spending money on something they won’t enjoy, recommendations from people who have tried it could help. Those are specific concerns we can address through the way we present and sell a product.
When I work with a client on their brand, I look into all the barriers to remove to help their ideal client say yes to a sale, because that gives me something to work with when I’m developing the creative ideas, what our goals are and it helps me decide what information needs to appear where.
Why should a brand continue to evolve even after launch?
A brand should be able to evolve because your audience will change and evolve, so you should keep learning about your customers and how they respond, which is something I always want clients to understand. You can research carefully and launch with a considered strategy, then learn something from customers that changes how you explain the offer or present a product.
Your audience will definitely change at some point, or you might start selling somewhere that asks something different of the brand. Surreal’s move towards supermarket shopping gives us a specific example of why packaging might need adjusting even when a business already has an audience online.
Personal preference can make those decisions difficult. You might love a design you’ve used for years, but if customers are struggling to understand what you sell, that needs investigating. I’d want to look at the evidence and work out what to improve, while keeping the parts people already recognise and value.
What is the secret behind Surreal's marketing?
Surreal uses humour to make people interested in its cereal and what’s happening in the business, and if you look at its social media content you’ll see a lot of playfulness. I like that the product is part of the entertainment, giving people something to enjoy while still reminding them what the business actually sells.
That’s useful because a joke can give somebody a reason to pay attention to an announcement they might otherwise ignore. You still need to decide what you want them to understand when they’ve finished reading, whether that’s the return of a flavour or a particular reason to try the cereal.
The packaging has a different job from a social post, because someone deciding whether to pick up a box needs to understand what they’re looking at quickly. When I look at this one, the flavour and nutritional benefits are really obvious, so I can enjoy the little character and still understand what’s inside.
I think that’s a good example of keeping your personality while thinking about what somebody needs in that particular situation, because a person passing a supermarket shelf needs to understand the box quickly, while someone reading a social post has chosen to spend a little more time with you.
See also: Why isn’t my social media getting me clients? Here’s the honest answer from a creative strategist
Did Surreal’s packaging make me want to buy it?
The packaging made me curious enough to research it, and yes, I think I’d be more likely to try it now that I know the story behind it. I admired the design because I’m a brand designer, so I was always going to be interested in how it looked. I’m impressed with how much thought has gone into the product, and that’s made me more curious about what it’s actually like.
I also asked my followers whether they’d tried it, because if a few people tell me they love it then yeah, it might end up on our shopping list. That’s social proof at work, which means using other people’s experiences as information when you’re deciding whether to buy which can be highly influencial and should be a considered part of your brand strategy.
How do you put a brand strategy into practice?
You put a brand strategy into practice by applying the thinking to the places where customers encounter your business, because your brand includes the whole experience someone has with you. Your packaging might make them curious enough to visit your website, then the website needs to help them understand the product and decide whether to buy, with your content feeling like it belongs to the same business too.
That’s why I develop the strategy and help put it into practice through my branding and website services, because I want the creative direction to carry through into the places where potential customers actually encounter you. My marketing support then helps you make that brand visible, so the decisions we’ve made become part of how you show up and communicate with people.
And yes, please trust your creative strategist enough to consider an idea that feels a little unfamiliar, and ask them to explain the thinking behind it because they should be able to help you sell something and bring unique ideas to the table. Look for someone who brings real ideas and can connect those to how your business is going to attract customers, because that can make such a difference to the decisions you make together.
FAQs about Surreal
Who is Surreal’s branding aimed at? Surreal is aimed at adults who want fun cereal with nutritional benefits that suit their priorities now. I think the playful design is a good reminder that branding for adults can still be colourful and enjoyable.
Why is Surreal’s branding so colourful? The bright colours support its playful personality and help the packaging stand out on supermarket shelves. Surreal is aimed at adults, so it’s a good example of how colour and fun can suit a brand selling to grown ups.
What is the strategy behind Surreal’s branding? Surreal combines the enjoyment people remember from childhood cereal with nutritional benefits aimed at adults. Its packaging communicates the product benefits while its humour gives the brand a personality people can recognise.
Did Surreal have a redesign? Yes, its earlier packaging was tested with people in its target audience who hadn’t heard of Surreal. The research looked at whether shoppers noticed the packs and understood the products, and the findings informed the new redesign.
Where can you buy Surreal cereal? I found a box in Sainsbury’s, and they also have an online shop.
Is your own brand giving people a reason to notice you?
If you’re wondering why your business is getting overlooked, my free Business Visibility Playbook helps you review how people discover your business and what they see when they look into it. You can assess your branding alongside your website and marketing, then work out where potential customers might be losing interest or missing a reason to choose you.
