It’s a strategy practiced by generics for years---co-opting the look and feel of the established brands’ packaging to encourage substitution. Quoted in AdAge, NutraSweet says “Consumers use sweeteners by color. Our goal is to improve each color.”

Experts predict that NutraSweet’s gambit will fail because of the competing brands’ appeal to consumers, and because NutraSweet’s pricing won’t provide consumers with a low-price alternative.

But the strategy doesn’t have to be sustaining or low price to steal market share from incumbents. Adopting elements of a competing brand’s identity and focusing on their vulnerabilities---for example, pink packets proclaiming NutraSweet is “New!100% saccharin free,” a clear swipe at Sweet’ N Low---will convince some customers to try NutraSweet and some of those substitutions will be permanent. And the NutraSweet brand and logo have significant recognition and awareness, another huge plus.