Packaging: A Key Consideration in Your Brand Design
Packaging, as a key component of brand design, had always attracted me. I believe that it is the most efficient way to talk to consumers—and I also believe that it has been misused and mismanaged over the years.
— Sergio Zyman, former Coca-Cola Chief Marketing Officer
Two Kellogg School of Management professors describe branding as “an effort to make products more meaningful to consumers.”[1] Perhaps there is no more powerful way of adding meaning to your product than through packaging. Packaging is the medium through which your customers can touch, hold, and interact with your brand.
Consider the example of Apple, which most people have experienced either directly or peripherally. From the product box to the product itself, be it a phone, a watch or a computer, the Apple aesthetic conveys an unmissable sense of clean, simple (i.e., simple to use), cutting-edge design.
With all of that in mind, we believe getting your product packaging right is probably the most important aspect of your brand design. We make this bold claim because if you miss the mark and don’t grab the consumer’s attention, it won’t matter how great your product is, how beneficial it is, or how carefully it was formulated, because it won’t sell.
Brand design involves color palette, font, scents, sometimes flavors and sounds, and the very physical and tactile aspects of your packaging—which, of course, also involves colors and fonts. Many of your customers will find you online, so they will not have the opportunity to smell, touch, or sample the product. The packaging, therefore, will be the first (or perhaps only) thing that catches their eye—or, it will if it’s on target.
How do you do it? Some tips to get you started:
Packaging must align with positioning. If you’re targeting the premium space, give yourself a head start with premium packaging, or at least packaging that conveys the idea of premium. Regardless of market positioning, you must communicate quality, so don’t be cheap with packaging. And of course, if you’re primarily targeting women, don’t opt for masculine packaging.
In his seminal book Emotional Branding¸ Marc Gobé wrote, “Bored consumers need bold options.” Your goal with your packaging specifically and branding generally is not to fit in. Keeping the ideal end-user (and your positioning) always at the forefront of choices, what will stand out on a computer screen or on a Sephora shelf? If your brand personality is fun, fresh, youthful, cheeky, boring is definitely not for you!
Put practical consideration ahead of “design for design’s sake,” or…“form follows function.” You can definitely sell a great looking product once, but if your consumers have a hard time using it, repeat purchases may be unlikely. Don’t overlook ease of use. For example, if you market a shampoo with high viscosity (i.e., it’s “thick”), you may consider placing the lid on the “bottom” so that it rests on the shelf ready to dispense. Likewise, if customers will need to squeeze the packaging to aid dispensing, don’t choose a material that is too rigid.
Know your competition. You can learn a lot from the market leader, but you don’t want packaging too similar to theirs. You can also learn from less successful brands — they can give you an idea of what not to do.
Don’t leave it to the end. Have an idea of what product or product line you intend to offer? As soon as you have that defined and your positioning, start on the packaging.
As with every step in the product development and fulfillment process, HatBerg Collective can work with you on identifying the right packaging for your needs.
[1] Bobby Calder and Steven Reagan, “Kellogg on Marketing,” 2001; Chapter 3: “Brand Design.”