Marketers are communicating with consumers through a variety of nontraditional advertising approaches, including digitally. But for many brands, the package remains the primary, and in some cases the only, touchpoint with consumers.
Scott Lucas, executive director at Interbrand, urges brand marketers to avoid giving short shrift to their packaging, “When executed with creativity and precision,” he says, “packaging can help a brand connect emotionally with consumers and establish deep, loyal relationships.”
Lucas offers five ideas for maximizing the impact of packaging at retail:
1. Understand the difference between consumers and shoppers.
2. Avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to package design research.
3. Incorporate the consumer’s voice into package design.
4. Realize that brand purchase decisions are far more instinctive than rational.
5. Leverage the in-home experience.
Point number four is particularly intriguing and provides a lot of room for innovation. Consumers spend only a few seconds in front of a store shelf, and virtually all of their product selections stem from unconscious decisions that favor emotion over logic. Chief influencers are a package’s color and shape, especially when they work together, through holistic packaging optimization, with other elements of the package.
