Packaging is the most
tangible representation of a brand. Consumers can touch it, pick it up, read
its brand communication, and determine whether they wish to purchase the
product. But first they have to be attracted by the packaging or they won’t
engage with it at all.
The stakes are high; it’s win
or lose at the retail shelf. Studies show that when consumers shop, they make
choices in as little as 20 seconds. They also ignore up to 2/3 of category
products in retail environments. These statistics explain why so many products
fail.
What persuades consumers to
gravitate to a specific branded product in a store aisle? What is it about
packaging that piques interest? Unusual structural design? Bold graphics?
Contemporary lifestyle imagery? A distinctive brand identity? Chances are color
attracts people first.
Ownable color.
A color palette, distinctive
graphics and brand identity work synergistically and can eventually become
iconic if consistently maintained. Imagine seeing a soft drink can in signature
red with a white swirl, missing its brand mark: “Coca Cola”. Would people still
recognize the product and immediately call the brand to mind? Surely just about
everyone, the world over, would. Many brands are instantly recognized because
of their signature colors. Ditto for the red and white Campbell’s Soup can
label. The Kraft Macaroni and Cheese blue box.
Think about Garnier Fructis’
signature lime green on hair and skin care products and what it signifies to
consumers about natural botanical blends. Cadbury’s identifying purple is so
important to the brand, the company sought to trademark it. Hot Wheels’ red and
yellow flame brand mark speaks to generations of fans.
The iconic big red “K” on
Kellogg’s Special K brand has been leveraged on products in new categories
other than cereal – how effective a brand identifier is that to loyal consumers?
Tropicana’s signature visual on its juice cartons, a straw plugged into a fresh
orange, is an incredible mnemonic device. Consumers look for this icon among
myriad choices packaged in orange and green. Ben & Jerry’s multi-colored
visuals always point to the brand’s ever-evolving ice cream flavors inside. Yet
its packaging is dominated by its logo featuring legendary chunky lettering
seemingly rendered by hand within a black and yellow cartouche. This ever-hip,
eco-friendly brand speaks to fans everywhere.
When a brand “owns” a strong
color, it should be carried into its packaging as its calling card. Besides signature color,
unique icons, package structure, imagery, typography and perhaps tactile
packaging substrates along with a strongly placed brand mark all combine to
create “ownable”, one of a kind packaging within a category. In well-executed
packaging, it is this very synergy that prompts the “buy” response from
consumers.
Because color has
psychological implications, companies often choose “category colors” in a
deliberate manner as a tool to relay information and to elicit an emotional
response.
- Many natural and organic products end up packaged
in unbleached paperboard with plenty of green and rich earth tones.
- Black, gold or silver are used alone or in
combination for luxury brands.
- High tech products are often deliberately
packaged in minimalist black.
- Simple, clean products with fewer ingredients
tend to be packaged in white.
- Kids’ toys are packaged in bright primary colors:
yellows, blues and reds. Girls’ toys in a range of pinks.
- Lavenders are often used for women’s and new age
products that evoke spiritualism.
- Bright colors used with black evoke
sophistication and edgy brands.
So what ends up happening, as
a result? Whole categories end up with unremarkable, hard-to-differentiate
packaging.
Think about the value of
doing the unexpected. Choosing an uncharacteristic color to stand apart from
the expected within a product category is a consideration. Even in a case where
signature color is a strong brand identifier, it can be combined with
additional color to make a unique statement. This helps to establish brand
differentiation.
TresSemme hair care is a good
example. How effective is stark black packaging with bright color caps and
brand communication to segment varieties that really pop in the process?
Especially when visualized by consumers in a sea of category products in
predominantly white packaging?
Packaging must be seen in the context of retail.
Packaging cannot be
successfully developed without looking at its retail context; it doesn’t exist
in a vacuum, but among myriad offerings. A full category analysis should be
conducted and mock-ups tested. Consumer focus groups and eye tracking can target
potential problems with packaging before going into production. Social media
platforms offer another largely untapped tool. Insights from customers (read:
brand devotees) on proposed new packaging are invaluable.
It takes courage to break new
ground, but if executed correctly and tested, packaging that breaks the color
mold within categories, bringing a new structural element, icon or delivery
system into the marketplace can succeed brilliantly.
Before executing design and
color choices in packaging:
- What does the brand stand for?
- Who is the customer?
- What about the brand, color included, prompts
“buy” responses from the targeted consumer?
- When packaging products for a global audience,
what meanings are ascribed to the colors used; how should they be
modified?
- Can a unique color be developed to support the
brand; one that is unusual in its category? Or can the brand’s signature
color be combined with another color to achieve a distinctive look and
feel?
- How does the chosen package color or color
combination make the consumer respond (feel) during the testing phase?
- Lastly, if the retailer shelves a few items from
the product line, how effective will it be when blocked on the shelf set?
Will it have a strong enough presence, if say 3 items are merchandised in
a particular store set from the 6 available?
Effectively executed
packaging leads to the consumer “seeing” the product and being motivated to buy
in a few precious seconds. Ultimately, packaging has to be judged on how it
affects consumer purchasing behavior. If packaging doesn’t leverage the brand
successfully by selling the product and cementing loyalty, it simply isn’t
effective, no matter how unique or colorful it is.
