Complete Brand Packaging Begins With The End In Mind
June 2, 2011 2 Comments
A lot of time and resources are spent on branding efforts. Brand recognition and brand loyalty are considered assets and are tracked and measured. We chose images; colors, shapes and text that we believe will help communicate the kind of experience our target market is going to have when they purchase our products. In short, we are making promising to our customers and working to earn their trust.
Earning trust is a difficult task and once we entice a customer to buy, delivering on our promises becomes critical. One strategy to build customer confidence is to incorporate marketing messages into product packaging. Most purchasing decisions are made in store and the package presentation is the first concrete opportunity to continue delivering on brand experience promises.
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After a purchase is made the product goes home with our buyer. The next interactions include, opening the outer package, looking at and unpacking the accessories, making sure all components are included, assembling/hooking up/setting up the product and reading the directions. Each of these interactions is communicating messages about our brand. The more complicated and difficult these steps are, the less loyal we tend to be about the brand we just purchased.
When considering the brand experience we would like our buyers to have, it is important to think about how the package influences brand perceptions. Some points to keep in mind when thinking about complete brand packaging include:
- Product presentation – what is the initial impression at point of purchase
- Production protection – what level of tamper resistance is needed
- Product placement – how will the product be placed for purchase
- Ease of use – the ease of opening, accessory layout and instructions
- Product enhancement – how can the package facilitate the use of the product
It is important to consider how end users will interact with our products. The way in which the product is packaged can be a useful tool to communicate brand strategies.
When designing for manufacturability one of the perceived downfalls is an increase in the cost of materials required for the design. Consider a master carton. Various designs of a master carton with similar dimensions, flute, and paperweight specifications have separate manufacturing costs. One design may require more board and another may require a more complicated die cut. Often design is viewed from a minimization of board and die cutting, leading to a cost only perspective.
We understand the importance packaging plays in purchasing decisions. Often the quality of the package is only one of the determining factors in the complex purchasing decision-making process. Perhaps the most important factor, however, is how well brand strategy is communicated and integrated at the point of purchase.
By Summer Seidenkranz, President of National Refund & Marketing Services, Inc.
We know it when we see it. It triggers a curious feeling, an impulse to pick it up, to touch it, and to bring it home with us. No, it is not a puppy! It is a great product -packaged with great care – in great packaging materials. Often, in the buyer’s eyes, the package the product is in, is synonymous with the product. People associate the quality of the product and the experience using the product with the packaging (marketing) the product is in. With packaging playing such an important factor in a product’s image and ultimately sales, here are five elements of packaging that helps to create a connection with the buyer.
“Waiting for the launch stage to consider packaging is too late”
