FC Know - Financial Chronicle - Mumbai

Tue, 20 Sep-11

Pg# :2

Size : 687 sq.cm.

Packaging of a product makes or kills a brand

M MUNEER

K BUY many items seeing their fancy packaging, even if we haven't seen their advertisements. With the s u p e r m a r k e t a n d malls proliferating, this trend is here to stay. W h e n we do not read n e w s p a p e r s every morning, or when we do not have time to watch commercials on TV, how else will we know which b r a n d is worth our money? Here, c o m e s [he importance of good packaging to sell products. Before the idea of "good packaging selling s t u f f " is dismissed as a brilliant grasp of the obvious, allow m e to explain. Packaging, be it k e t c h u p labels, boxes, bottles or toothpaste tubes, is in the middle of a storm - the epicentre w h e r e the consumer, the product a n d t h e cash, all convene in a s p e c t a c u l a r display of buy-it-or-leave-it p h e n o m e n o n . Unlike o t h e r forms, packaging h a s the power to close a sale in the critical m o m e n t s of the p u r c h a s i n g decision. In this way, a package design becomes critical to m a k e or kill a brand. But is that the only job of packaging? It must also vie for o u r attention in a cluttered retail store, i n d u c e a first-time p u r c h a s e and even transform impulse buying into the emotional arena of brand loyalty. And attracting n e w

c u s t o m e r s while m a i n t a i n i n g existing ones may be the most diff i c u l t The a n s w e r is complicated, but it begins with the simple notion thai all package design needs to be effective. This m e a n s that il c o n s u m e r s c a n n o t find what you are selling in an ov erwhelming in-store e n v i r o n m e n t , t h e n you have already lost the battle. In other words, shelf space is the king. Take the oft-cited example o f t h e toiletry aisle. Everyone knows the strategic p l a c e m e n t of Unilever or Colgate brand is 5 feet I inches off the ground, or, roughly the eye level of average housewife who does t h e shopping for the house. But a new paradigm h a s evolved in major s u p e r m a r k e t c h a i n s abroad. T h e top-shelf, a previously undesirable position in most grocery stores, h a s now b e c o m e quite fashionable. Why? Because that is where they keep the o d d s - a n d - e n d s items such as rare olives, special exotic jams, obscure sauces, single-source salad dressings, a m o n g others. So w h e n a c o n s u m e r reaches way u p to that shell, he or she feels (s)he's found s o m e t h i n g s p e c i a l something exclusive that not everyone else who shops at that major s u p e r m a r k e t chain could find. And when he or she finds that can of rare olives, what does

plenty ol examples where this is not possible. Take the soap aisle. If you have shopped there recently, you know what you arc u p against. Trying to figure out the right soap lor you - from whitening, perf u m e d , moisturised or simply a mild one - is a task in itself. In (his case, packaging n e e d s to be a billboard for (lie product. If conventional wisdom holds that you are only allowed seven words on a billboard, which is 40 ft long, how on earth are you allowed (i()0 on a box, which is 2 inch by inches? Package design o f t e n does not c o m m u n i c a t e a myriad of information, including: what I he product is, who m a k e s it, what il does, how it is different a n d why to buy il. So the a n s w e r is to create an information hierarchy with clear messaging. And do not forget, you need to put the legally mandated product information and disclaimers in fine print! Finally, you c a n n o t simply sum u p package design as the combination of art and science, or the combination of simple design a n d well-coordinated information. Part o f t h e magic equation is t h e sex appeal, which is to realise that packaging design may well be the most emotional selling tool. il The writer is CEO and MD of CuslomerLab Solutions

it usually look like? Often, the package design isn't elaborate. Il may not have bright colours or gold leaf design, or cartoon charac ler e n d o r s e m e n t s , b e c a u s e these little b r a n d s do not have enough money. And the irony is that this simplicity is what makes them

stand apart. Indeed, simplicity is a key factor in the art a n d science of package design. In fact, it is the job of packaging to create clear, simple graphic messaging that is telegraphic, u n d e r s t a n d a b l e a n d memorable. C o n s u m e r s want

products a n d services a n d packaging that simplify their lives. Simplicity and ultimately minimalism will c o n t i n u e to be an increasingly powerful influence in retail. But the issue is not only about clean design, because t h e r e are