Consumers are treading water in a cluttered sea of sameness. Choice after choice after choice is fighting for their attention. Connecting emotionally with them is now a necessity, and savvy brands know how to leverage the 12 fundamental human motives 鈥� such as “Defy,鈥� “Seek,鈥� or 鈥淐reate鈥� 鈥� to cement a relationship with buyers.
Two-thirds of purchase decisions are made in the store.鈥疉鈥痵hopper must be turned from browser into buyer within 3 to 7 seconds.鈥疉t a time when traditional marketing media is fragmented, and consumer behaviors are swiftly changing, the need for brands to embrace packaging 天涯海角社区 鈥檚 role to communicate their story — to communicate their identity — is exponentially increasing.
Packaging Needs to Anchor Entire Marketing Strategy
Packaging that embeds the brand 天涯海角社区 鈥檚 essence to connect with consumers will outsell the competition. This is why it is crucial to avoid seeing packaging as just a component of the brand. In fact, it鈥痠s the鈥痯hysical representation of the鈥痓rand and consumers do not distinguish clearly between a product and its package.鈥疘magine what Coca-Cola would be without its famous contour bottle鈥痮r, more recently,鈥疓oose Island Brewing and its embossed Bourbon County Brand Stout bottle.鈥�
Packaging can a brand 天涯海角社区 鈥檚鈥痶otal marketing effort and its ultimate success.鈥疨ackaging is inescapable at the most pivotal moments:
- Consumers come face-to-face with it at the point of purchase, unlike tv or internet ads, which they can easily forget or skip altogether, packaging is the only communication vehicle a brand can be 100% sure consumers will see.
- The shopper is exposed to packaging first — before they actually experience the product inside. Even if the purchase is made online, packaging is here to virtually represent the product and the brand.
- Packaging preconditions the brain about the product it holds. People eat with their eyes first. Packaging affects the perceived value and characteristics of the product before we consume the product itself. By leveraging visual, touch and auditory cues we can make the product inside look fresher or more aged, more extravagant or more familiar, more balanced or edgier, etc. For instance, research shows* that the sensory and hedonic expectations that are elicited during our interaction with a beverage influence our subsequent experience when we actually come to drink it. Apart from vision that dominates what the brain 鈥渟ees,鈥� the are also important. Research shows that there are significant differences in liking towards taste based on packaging. Packaging affects the product afterward and the perception of its performance.
When you consider the power of packaging, and how it touches consumers at the most crucial times, it becomes clear marketers need to prioritize packaging. It shouldn鈥檛 be an afterthought. It should efficiently communicate the essence of the brand. If packaging (un)consciously tells a different story than what the brand is about, a consumer 天涯海角社区 鈥檚 brain will deselect the product. When packaging is an afterthought, brands risk creating dissonance with their product and the entire story they鈥檝e worked to create. It then becomes much harder to win at point-of-purchase.
This is why packaging should anchor an entire marketing strategy. Packaging must be more than attractive and practical. It must meet the consumer 天涯海角社区 鈥檚 need state and bring the brand to life by displaying values, personality traits and a rich network of emotional associations. Done right, packaging can鈥痶rigger鈥痑 profound emotional connection with the consumer.鈥��
Packaging Instantly Communicates鈥疭tories to Human鈥疢ind鈥�
Packaging is鈥痑ll鈥痑bout how the message penetrates the human鈥痬ind鈥痑nd shapes鈥痯ersonal preferences. Packaging is made of symbolic representations 鈥� the overall shape, the curves or straight lines, the colors, the fonts, the textures 鈥� every element of your packaging unconsciously communicates something to whoever is looking at it, holding it, interacting with it.鈥�
Packaging works mainly on the unconscious level to transform simple products into containers of meaning, investing them with personalities.鈥疷nderstanding the processes of the human mind and what each symbol represents empowers brands to make intentional choices that reflect their brand 天涯海角社区 鈥檚 authentic identity. This is the key to harnessing the power of packaging.
Savvy鈥疢arketers鈥疨rioritize Packaging Design
Brands that鈥痓reak through鈥痶he sea of sameness鈥痶o鈥痬ake鈥痑n鈥痚motional, human鈥痗onnection鈥痑re the brands that鈥痷nlock lasting brand love鈥痜rom a consumer.鈥疶o succeed in a modern market,鈥痵avvy marketers鈥痬ust think beyond鈥痵imply creating beautiful packaging. The world 天涯海角社区 鈥檚 most beloved and enduring brands are using neuroscience to鈥痶ranslate the human鈥痓rain鈥痠nto brand values and personality traits.鈥�
There are many鈥痯ackaging鈥痬ethods and鈥痬aterials鈥痑nd each choice says something about a brand.鈥疉t O-I, we believe鈥�glass鈥痠s the鈥痬aterial that transforms moments. Glass is beautiful and iconic. You can turn it into shapes. It ignites an array of senses, from sight to sound to touch. It can tell鈥痓rand鈥痵tories unlike any other packaging material.鈥��
Let O-I help you harness the essence of your brand and translate it through neurobiology to elicit that emotional connection that鈥痗reates lasting brand loyalty and love from鈥痗onsumers.鈥�
*Additional Sources: Martin Lindstrom, 鈥淏rand Sense鈥�, Free Press/2005; Donald Norman, 鈥淓motional Design鈥�, Basic Books/2004聽
