PACKAGING DESIGN & SOLUTIONS: INNOVATION
The packaging design process, says Stergios, needs a refresh in order to create successful packaging that will work in the long run
Newprinciples of innovation Presenting his five-step checklist for packagingmanagers, it’s time innovation had a shake-up, says Stergios Bititsios
In themodern retail setting, with augmentedmarket segmentation and themove to self-service and larger supermarkets, brands and products are struggling to attain recognition.
Stergios Bititsios is Associate Director, packaging and design of MMR ResearchWorldwide, consumer research experts. For more information, visit
www.mmr-research.com.
a vehicle to help identify, differentiate and increase sales of brands and products in response to unprecedented competition. But domostmarketing teams truly recognise the role of packaging beyond ameans of product protection? Or its power as a brand ambassador, a sales canvas for the promotion of product benefits, a platformfor affective and effective communication and an integral component of the total consumption experience? Research has shown that
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consumers spend just a sixth of a second looking at a grocery pack in a supermarket, compared to around eight and a half seconds
16 | Packaging Gazette |
PackagingGazette.co.uk
s packaging experts, of coursewe realise the potential of packaging as
for the full purchasing decision to bemade. Packaging has towork faster in a crowded environment. Getting it right first time is vital. There is no doubt that packaging should be a strategic priority and not an add-on application.
PACKAGING AND THE BRAND Ignore packaging and brands and productswill suffer. In fact, the pack prettymuch is the brand – it contains all the functional, emotional and sensory qualities that brand owners try so hard to control.What dowemean? It’s the day-to-day personification of a brand – it has visual, tactile, auditory and sometimes olfactory impact. Its impact extends beyond the supermarket shelf; in fact the relationship between consumers and packaging becomesmoremeaningful and intimate outside the retail environment and beyond the first moment of truth. The point of use and the context inwhich the product is actually consumed are key touchpoints of the consumer-
pack interface. Also, the impact of packaging extends beyond the user itself – it’s often seen by others at the point of consumption and beyond. For consumers, packaging defines whowe are. Evenwhen the product has been consumed, the pack is still there. This iswhy packagingmust be
seen as a protagonist and not as a necessary evil. It is a shame that packaging is still quite often the poor cousin of themarketingmix, rather than a fantastic opportunity for brands to differentiate their products and enhance the consumption experience. Consumer research has the power to extract and define the packaging elements that really matter; those thatwill be successful and thatwill guarantee a healthy return on investment and those thatwill not. So here, I presentmy five steps for successful packaging innovation.
1. DEVELOP PACKAGING ALONGSIDE PRODUCTS Product teams invest thousands
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