How does packaging showcase a brands personality?
Product packaging is vital for a variety of reasons. The most obvious reason is to protect the product inside. However, packaging can also showcase a brands personality. Well-designed packaging can attract a brands target audience by aligning the design to meet audiences' expectations.
In a recent survey by WePack, 41.3% of respondents believed that packaging could showcase a brands personality when done well. A further 32% thought that packaging does showcase a brands personality.
The next question is, how can packaging showcase a brands personality? Companies spend thousands of pounds to answer this question and ensure their packaging matches their brand. There are key areas to focus on when deciding how to market products via packaging.
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Colour is one of the most powerful tools for brand packaging
When you think of a red can, you think of Coca-Cola. When you see a black jar with a yellow lid, you think of Marmite. Colour is an incredibly powerful tool that can showcase the sense of a product of fun, sophistication, or target audience.
Cereal is an excellent example of brands using colour to showcase personality and appeal to specific target audiences. Cereal boxes with bright colours are often aimed at kids to grab their attention. However, if you see healthier options aimed at adults, you will often find the cereal boxes use more neutral, natural colours to reflect the “natural” and healthy product.
93% of buyers said they focus on visual appearance, with 85% claiming colour as the main reason for making a purchase. This percentage shows that 'colour' is an essential tool a brand can utilise when designing packaging.
Packaging design will reflect a brand's sense of luxury
Anyone who has bought an expensive new phone like the iPhone will understand the sense of luxury the packaging provides. An all-white box made from high-quality material that fits perfectly around the inner packaging. Inside is a groove that is designed to hold the phone in place perfectly. A thin layer of protective film on the screen. Apple are so proud of their packaging they even created a commercial about it.
Packaging design can alter a person's perception of a product. Several large E-cigarette merchants have similar brand identities to Apple. These merchants have chosen a modern, stylish design to remove the stigma that vaping is silly looking. The simplistic design and modern packaging of e-cigarettes create the sense that vaping is futuristic and classy.
Packaging design is popular among consumers too – an entire cottage industry has been created on YouTube for unboxing videos. Unboxing videos feature an influencer simply opening new products, showcasing the packaging and the products. With one in five consumers having watched an unboxing video, ensuring packaging design matches the quality of the product should be a top priority.
Packaging quality must offer suitable protection for the product
The quality of packaging material will affect the perceived quality of the product itself. Companies must ensure that the quality of packaging offers suitable protection for the product inside. Certain considerations need to be made depending on the product.
If a brand decides to use cheaper materials for the sake of saving some money, they run the risk of lowering a product’s perceived quality. For example, beauty products are commonly packaged in glass containers. Glass helps prolong shelf life by reducing leakages and those with airtight seals offers protection from oxygen exposure.
Food products have strict regulations on the type of packaging, to ensure consumer safety. Any mistakes during this process can have a dire effect on companies. Mick Clark, managing director at contract packing company WePack, said: “Using a contract packer that follows strict procedures protects the food and reduces the risk of having to recall products. If something goes wrong the costs can be astronomical.
BP company logo
An instantly recognisable logo is something companies can spend thousands of dollars to create. British Petroleum (BP) spent a whopping $210,000 on their logo. The green colours are designed to represent the company's dedication to “being more green”. The simple and instantly recognisable design means that it was money well spent.
Logos can often dictate many other aspects of packaging such as colour and fonts. Consider the Coca-Cola can. The logo is red with white writing and so are the cans. The synergy between the brand logo and packaging design creates instant brand recognition. See a red can? It’s probably a Coca-Cola.
Typography should not be ignored
Typography, when working with logos and colours can display the unique values of a brand. The right colours and logo with the wrong font can destroy this unification.
There has been a lot of research into the psychological effects of fonts on consumers’ perception of brands. Serif fonts like the GAP logo create a sense of class and heritage. Sans serif like the Facebook logo suggests a modern and engaging brand. These seemingly small details can create a massive difference in consumer perception.
Packaging materials are becoming more important to consumers
With fears of climate change rising, businesses are looking to packaging that are eco-friendly without sacrificing quality. Eco-friendly packaging can be hard to provide due to many logistical issues.
Companies are slowly moving towards environmentally conscious packaging in some areas. Research is still ongoing to find a worthy replacement to materials like plastic. However, full replacement of plastic still appears to be a way off into the future.
Does packaging showcase a brands personality?
With companies spending millions of pounds on the packaging that combines the right colours, logos, fonts and designs, it’s safe to say that packaging plays a huge role in consumer perception.
The survey conducted by WePack reveals that consumers are conscious of packaging when making purchasing decisions. They believe that when done right, packaging can showcase brand personality.
To find out more about our contract packing services please contact WePack on 0115 852 9000 or get in touch via the form below.