Do you believe in Love at first sight? If you don’t, read on and I bet you will have a different view at the end of it. If you are the owner of a brand that sits on a shelf, think again.
Love at first sight is really when you see someone/something and instantly feel a connect and pull. Isn’t it?! Anything that is charming is what makes us fall in love, let that be a person or a thing. This is anuniversal truth. And this applies to your product Packaging Design also because the first thing you see about the product on a shelf is the way it looks. So in a big way Your product is seen to be as good as its Packaging.So the art of making a consumer fall in love with your Packaging Design, is essentially a blend of creative (strategic) expression with emotional (tactical) messaging.
There is a good 70-80% out there who simply pickupand eventually buy a product because of the visual appeal a Packaging Design had on their minds at the first eye contact. It is a feeling of love that is induced in them because the Packaging Design looked strikingly appealing and resonated with them. So consumers simply take it as a given that this product is worth a try!
Repeat purchases would largely depend on the overall product experience, however for fulfilling the marketer’s dream first and most critical milestone – the first trial, the onus to a large extent is on Packaging Design.
As a brand owner, are you in a confident spot to tell if your consumers are really in love with your Packaging Design? If you are not sure if your Packaging Design is a definite charmer or worth really loving, then its time you do a quick check on certain aspects.
For your consumers to fall in love with your Packaging Design, the below 3 questions need to tick a BIG YES!
Is your Packaging Design modern, clutter free and with contemporary codes?
Most consumers today are exposed to a lot of content and design through various media. A plethora of brands are trying to woo them through smart and modern design and messaging. Consumers have a strong sense of preference when it comes to the kitty of brands, which they think are inline with the contemporary style, have a modern outlook towards everything in the environment, have a clean clutter free design language and are evolving with the changing sensibilities of the audience. If the brand doesn’t keep pace with the contemporary codes, they can soon be referred to as ‘dated’ or in the past tense.
Amul is an age old household brand in India but not only has it innovated and launched exciting new products in the dairy category but has also let the Packaging Design evolve to be in line with today’s Indian youth and their aspirations. That’s why when it introduced first of its kind ready-to-drink packaged mocktailslikePina Colada, it made sure that the Packaging Design captured the international experience and was clean, trendy and upmarket, with a flat graphic contemporary design style. Soon the love for the Packaging Design of this new launch was all over social media.
Is your Packaging Design unique – easy to recognise and recall?
The consumer will instantly notice a new Packaging Design if it has the ‘never seen before’ kind of look. There is so much clutter in every category that sometimes certain design codes become a blind spot. It becomes predictable and they are just expected to be there. You need some kind of disruption to shake things up and add an excitement into the category.
Paperboat is a brilliant example of a brand that changed the way consumers looked at juices. Infact they were not selling juices but the concept of nostalgia around the good old familiar elements from childhood. The packaging format was entirely new for the juices category in India and instantly caught everyone’s attention. The thoughtful usage of colours, graphic elements, font, styling in all created a unique look and a premium feel. It was unique for anyone to recognize and recall.
The tagline – drinks and memories, connected with most young adults and it struck a chord exactly where it had to – it won the hearts of many. That takes me to the 3rd question.
Is your Packaging Design striking a chord with your TG to fulfil the unmet needs of your target consumer?
Consumers can relate best with a brand if it talks in the same language as theirs. If the Packaging Design could reflect the same attitude that the consumer possess or aspire to have, it can do wonders.
Packaging Design should reflect the outlook of the brand and the essence of its brand story and in doing so form a bond with the right audience. Packaging Design plays an important role in taking the consumer to the feeling where she says, “This seems to be for me. Lets give it a try” or “This is exactly what I was looking for”
Marico recently launched an innovative product that had a potent mix of 5 seeds within the cap that would enrich the oil every time it’s poured. Its called Nihar Naturals Extra Care Hairfall control oil. The objective was to cater to the unmet need of the younger, modern women who is faced with the challenges of hair fall due to the lifestyle changes that she is going through.
The TG is smart, young girls aged 25-30yrs, who are aspirational, ambitious and achievement oriented. She is looking for a modern and progressive product with superior sensorials that can provide her a solution to her modern-day hair health concerns, primarily hair fall.
What the Packaging Designhere does is to introduce the innovation as the most convenient avatar to the age-old household grandma’s remedies for hair care that is the perfect solution for her. It portrays the same image of confidence and success that this multifaceted modern woman aspires to have.
So for a consumer to fall in love with your Packaging Design means you need to essentially achieve an effective creative (strategic) expression and emotional (tactical) messaging. Getting a consumer to love your Packaging Design is profound work of conducting an insightful blend of Semiotics study, using Design Morphology and use of innovative techniques to explore the latest research to the next level of findings to come up with a charmer packaging design. The love for your Packaging Design can mean emotional involvement of your consumers you’re your brand resulting into increased sales.
Use the above 3 questions to evaluate if your Packaging Design is really worth loving.Is it good at flirting with your TG who is walking past the shelf? Does it make her turn around for a quick glance or is it an absolute showstopper? This will help you relate your sales performance with Packaging Design
Is your Packaging Design flirtatious enough? Let me know in the comments below.
