Known for enabling pro musicians to yell, ‘Hello, Cleveland!’ Shure repackaged its electronics to say hello to all U.S. consumers.

The idea: Shure is best known for professional audio equipment such as microphones. However, the company discovered that consumers were buying its pricey pro-grade earphones to use with their iPods. Wanting to seize on this burgeoning market opportunity, it decided a package redesign was in order.

The problem: With the popularity of the iPod, a host of dubious, cheaper headphones had flooded the market. Shure’s original earphone packaging was designed to appeal to consumer sensibilities with a photo of a dude rockin’ out against a bright red background. But, this didn’t communicate the professional core of the brand, and that level of expertise was seen as an additional selling point to consumers. “We chose to get rid of the photo,” said John Ball, partner and creative director for MiresBall, San Diego, the agency chosen to do the design honors. “Testing confirmed our thinking that a photo can be polarizing: Do we use a guy or a girl? Will someone else think he’s cool?” The company also wanted to wean products off clamshell packaging and into something more premium-looking and environmentally friendly.

The target: Audiophiles, typically male, age 30 plus; techno geeks.

The challenge: To overhaul the earphone packaging to leverage its iconic status and more clearly differentiate itself from cheaper competitors while still being consumer friendly. “Research confirmed that Shure’s pro-audio heritage was a differentiated feature that helped support the price point,” Ball said. Shure’s premium SE 310 model sells for $300.

The interim solution: To communicate product tiering, MiresBall revamped the color palette and called out product and brand benefits in a more-noticeable way on interim packaging. This was on the market for about a year before the final version debuted this fall at such stores as Circuit City and Best Buy. A burnished red was chosen as an evolution of the existing hue used to target consumers, while black and blue cues tied the line to Shure’s existing corporate identity. Authentic performance imagery and a heritage statement attesting to Shure’s legacy (“Developed for the pros”) further emphasized the brand’s professional-grade advantage. Additionally, the Shure logo was simplified and positioned more prominently. The clamshell form was retained, but for lower-end items like the SE ($100).

The final design: A “Legendary Performance” tagline was added to distinguish Shure from newly minted competitors. A colored band was added to each SKU to stress product features and distinguish models from one another. All-paper packages are more economical and environmentally friendly than the clambshell option.