Making Manischewitz Cool for Passover

Manischewitz has been a staple of Passover Seders for decades.

This year, the brand’s matzo packaging will look a little different thanks to a major redesign.

Manischewitz’s new look and feel attempts to pull off a delicate balance: appeal to a broader audience without alienating longtime customers.

The brand has plenty of cultural cachet, but lacked the visual recognition to match.

With this update, the first in decades, Manischewitz takes on a warmer color palette to better tie the look and feel to the comfort food and nostalgia of the products.

It also combines illustrations with product photos. The illustrations suggest dishes that can be universally enjoyed. At the same time, the photos show real food to give those less familiar with the brand a better sense of its offering.

That clever combination allows the visuals to capitalize on the benefits both styles have to offer.

A Broader Reach

Shani Seidman, CMO at Manischewitz parent company Kayco, said the goal of the rebrand is to expand the brand’s appeal beyond core customers and to “a core consumer’s grandkid, and their friend, and someone who’s culturally curious.”

The rebrand also includes an updated brand voice and a dedicated ad campaign.

The far-reaching changes do pose some risk, especially when it comes to established shoppers who might not immediately recognize the new packaging. But it’s a risk worth taking if it attracts a new generation of consumers.

The rebrand was years in the making, but Manischewitz got the timing of the launch just right. A slew of press coverage arrived in recent weeks, just as families were doing their shopping for Passover, which begins tonight.