I wrote and published an
article once with the title: “Advertising is Dead. Long Live Packaging”. Since
POPSOP.com brought this up in my recent interview with them, I thought it worth
discussing in this month's issue of BOLT!. While the title of the article is a bit of an exaggeration for the
sake of grabbing attention, there’s more than a kernel of truth to it. With
increasingly fragmented audiences and more consumers tuning out conventional
advertising than ever, the whole proposition needs rethinking. Here's my take on why packaging is the most powerful consumer touch point for your brand. Feel free to chime in... your thoughts are always welcome.
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Verbal brand communication
tends to be the primary focus of marketers. Consumer product companies are fond
of creating clever taglines. Producing advertising for print and digital media.
Developing marketing content for their web sites and social media to inform and
engage. And, of course, aligning brand communication on packaging. But who asks
this question: what’s most memorable to
consumers?
People are visual. Strong
visual design assets have a way of sticking more than verbal communication.
That’s why packaging has the power to sell consumers right at the retail shelf.
Advertising doesn’t do that nearly as effectively. It drives consumers into
retail stores and it cues them to a degree but purchase decisions are made at
the shelf. The visual impact of great package design has the power to sell
product and build brands like nothing else. Think about it this way: have you
ever gone into a store to purchase a particular brand because of advertising
impressions? But once there, you purchased another due to the impact the
packaging made on you? I think we all have.
Visual design elements can be
leveraged to develop a unique communication hierarchy in packaging. Think of
how brands can be communicated at a glance by the use of signature color, a
distinctive brand identity, unique graphics, typography and imagery, including
an icon. Or a combination of several or all of these visual elements can come
together to create visual impact.
Consider some category
leading brands. In a high-powered category like energy beverages, Monster
Energy Drinks continue to dominate. But what motivates purchase? What sells the
brand: its tagline, advertising, extreme sports content on its web site or its
packaging? The company’s catchy tagline: “Unleash the Beast”? Or signature
black packaging with its three long “claw marks” in neon green in the shape of
the letter “M” and its distinctive brand identity “Monster” in a Goth font? In
an explosive category like energy drinks, Monster continues to dominate. When
the brand name “Monster” is uttered, what comes to mind? The powerful visual
impact presented on its packaging. The letter “M” formed by claw marks? Pure
genius.
Tropicana orange juice is a
category leader. When consumers are confronted with a multitude of choices on
the retail shelf, are they thinking “Never made from concentrate”? No. They’re
keying in on the straw-plugged orange on the packaging. This icon has so much
heritage that consumers complained when a package refresh eliminated this
visual design element. Sales plummeted. It took parent company Pepsico a scant
couple of months to reinstate the original package design. This proves that
visual design elements on packaging can make (and maintain category leaders) or
break brands.
In a cross-over category like
die cast toy cars that kids and adults enthusiastically enjoy collecting,
Mattel’s heritage Hot Wheels brand continues to create excitement. Far from
passé since its 1968 debut, contemporary games and videos deliver all of the
excitement of racing on the brand web site. The debut of Team Hot Wheels racing
at the fabled Indy 500 with in-depth looks at the team creates a lot of
positive energy around the brand. But in the end, what makes Hot Wheels stand
out from its competitors? Its signature brand identity: a flame in vibrant red,
orange and yellow with white and yellow Hot Wheels lettering signifying
movement on
bold blue color of the
packaging is a powerful identifier for the brand at retail. This actually helps
consumers cue in on the logo by seeing the deep blue packaging first. Even if we were to conduct a test and jumble the brand
name, few boys and grown men wouldn’t be able to identify the Mattel Hot Wheels
brand. Yet another testament to the power of visual design.
When consumers are confronted
by a sea of candy bars and they want to purchase quality chocolate, what jumps
out at them more than Cadbury’s signature royal purple packaging? The color is
so integral to the brand that Cadbury once tried to trademark it. The Cadbury
image has been reinforced by its brand marketing, but the packaging conveys the
brand and its assets at a glance. Similarly, how do consumers choose from among
premium ice creams? Nothing pops out more than Ben & Jerry’s pints with
their homey art work and brand identity. All of those bucolic landscapes and
cows: can there be any doubt this is Ben & Jerry’s?
Remove the logo from any of
the packaging on these brands leaving all other visual design elements intact
and most consumers would be able to identify them. Not only that: they would be
able to assign specific assets to the brand. No matter where people live; no
matter the languages they speak, visuals communicate clear messages everyone
can understand. How important is that to global and would-be global brands?
Should brand managers
continue to focus on verbal brand communication, including advertising?
Certainly. But they should assess what’s working and what isn’t and budget
wisely. Knowing how visual consumers are, they should consider reallocating
additional resources to packaging. Remember that packaging is one of the most
tangible representations of brands. Fully developing the potential of visual
design elements can lift brands by owning consumer mindshare and creating
category leaders. So why wouldn’t marketers focus more of their resources on
developing visual brand communication? On package design?
