Are many brands missing the trick when it comes to making the most of the branding real estate they have on pack?Packaging is about both function and emotion. Traditionally, packaging was always focused on function but now, more than ever, marketers realise the opportunity for packaging to tap into the emotional. Those doing it well use packaging as a way to literally enable consumers to experience their brand promise.
Even once considered “value” or “staple” categories feature brilliant examples of packaging innovation (e.g. pet food, laundry, bread, salad mix).
Packaging = a brand experience, a place to communicate your brand values and essence to engage with the shopper. But even more so, it’s a way to ensure repeat interaction between shoppers and your brand.
Why in these tough economic times can packaging be a great way for brands to make the most of an asset when they all have to define what they are about and what the brand’s values are?Packaging is a critical brand touchpoint – one of the last places for a marketer to engage a shoppers head and heart.
A shoppers decision to buy or not buy is affected by multiple influences – some are inside the control of the marketer and others aren’t. A big area that marketers can control is the look and feel of packaging. It is a critical communication touchpoint for brands – it is the last place for a marketer to engage a shoppers heart and mind.
More marketing dollars are going to be diverted from traditional paid-for media into enhancing in-store communication touchpoints, such as packaging. Internationally, P&G are diverting more dollars into shopper marketing budgets than ever before.
Big benefits of investment in packaging?Beyond function and brand essence brilliant packaging helps:
Make using the product easier and thus more enjoyable
Cut-through amid the clutter of competitors and me-toos
Signal brand quality & innovation
Justify a more premium price point
Generate word of mouth (e.g. Another Bloody Water)
Are agencies concerned that in hard times, on-pack is actually an area that will suffer badly as brands ‘un-invest’ in it?Only those who don’t do it well. Scarcity breeds innovation.
Great Packaging ExamplesUniqlo / pantone (USA)
Innovative, stand out design. Generates talkability long after store visit done.
Ella Rouge gift card (Australia)
Evidence that even “experiences” need to be packaged and that done well, it doesn’t take much to stand out.
Y water (USA)
Great example of multipurpose packaging – a water for kids that translates into a toy when clipped together.
Another bloody water (Australia)
Eevidence that not all who scream loudest, win.
Brilliant packaging from the truck to the bottle.
Method (USA)
Classic example of raising the bar on what it means to operate in a traditional “low interest” category (cleaning products).
Anything from Waitrose, UK.
Beautiful, clean, product-centric.
B_E_E Products (Beauty Engineered for Ever) NZ
A fantastic example of a product whose packaging lives and breathes its values and brand promise. It speaks to the shopper – makes it personal. Stands out a mile on shelf.
Febreze Décor Collection (USA)
Stands out a mile on the shelf. Good-bye to ugly and boring air freshener packaging.
As part of the Westfield World Retail Study Tour, we went to Barcelona for the final leg of our journey last week. Heard from many fantastic retailers including Zara and Tous to Desigual.
