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| Yes | 92% | 740 votes | Total: 802 votes | |
| No | 8% | 62 votes |
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Add to FavoritesAs a National Development Manager for a small company hoping to break into the big time I was once given a sample of a brilliant luxury food product which we intended to launch to all the big grocers in the succeeding months. I had waited with baited breath to see what the final packaging would look like. I had absolute confidence in the product since all the tests among smaller retailers had scored 100% rating approval, but now it was up to marketing to come up with the goods on a box that would deliver the final message.
When my boss unveiled the sample at our sales development conference, my heart sank. Marketing had got the message completely wrong. Instead of exclusive, luxury, expensive, the packaging said cheap, tacky and nasty. I knew I couldnt take this to any of my big clients. But I was in a small company with a limited budget, and they had already blown more than they could afford on getting the line to this stage. I made the mistake of lying to my boss by telling him I thought the box was great.
Of course the product failed. Apart from a couple of small listings in medium sized stores, none of our key target accounts were remotely interested. They had too many other suppliers doing a better job. The trouble was, the company I had chosen to represent was a brilliant manufacturer of food, but hadnt a clue about marketing. I realised too late that I should have made my input stronger earlier on in the process instead of trusting others to do the job right. Hindsight is great, but the mistake cost the company dear and when I couldnt improve the distribution of the product according to our targets, it was my job that was on the line.
This particular product didnt even make it as far as the consumer. The procurement managers I presented the product too were well enough informed about their customers buying habits to know that they were looking at a lemon. Sitting in front of them as they criticised my "baby", I felt like an amateur.
The story illustrates the importance not just of good packaging, but packaging that gives off all the right signals. When as consumers we are considering the purchase of a new product, what we are really asking is "does this product fit in with my lifestyle requirements?" and unless the design says "yes, I am entirely meant for you" the final decision will be negative. There are just too many people competing for the same turf in todays economy to be complacent about design. It is no longer enough to have the best product. A mediocre product in a brilliant box might even sell better in some instances than a higher quality product, particularly if it can be sold for a lower price. Before finalizing design ideas, make sure you know who is going to be buying your products. Then fill your design with appropriate symbols that wll register in their compatibility zone. Make your packaging compatible with your customers tastes and youve got a winner!
Learn more about this author, Milton Johanides.
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No
If product packaging does not influence consumer buying behavior, then corporations are wasting a lot of money. Companies spend a lot more money on advertising than they do on packaging, but packaging is still considered very important. What colors attract the eye? What images evoke trust or other positive emotions in the buyer? But while packaging may have some influence on buyers the first time around, the experience with the product will determine whether a consumer comes back for more. I may buy a TV dinner because the picture on the cover looks really good, but if the actual product is a pale shadow of that cover picture and on top of that, the dinner doesn't taste good, the manufacturer has lost me as a customer for all of their products.
Consumers are becoming more and more sophisticated as we learn more about quality and pricing. Companies depend upon return customers to survive. Being able to get a customer to buy your product through psychologically and emotionally sophisticated packaging is not going to make you money in the long run, especially when dealing with perishables like food. Not only will people not come back for your product, but they will also warn their friends and family away from your products, all of your products.
Americans have finally figured out that the golden goose is dead and they need to use more care in purchasing products, especially more high-end products. While you might buy a bag of potato chips due to good packaging, you are not going to buy a car, a TV, or any high-end electronics due to good packaging. Packaging will only influence consumers at the low end, such as perishables, inexpensive toys, and impulse buys. And even in these areas, consumers are getting much more sophisticated and are more careful about buying both quality and low cost. Packaging will only get you so far.
The only area where packaging is actually working to make producers more money is in a scam that began a number of years ago and is apparently still alive and well today. Several years ago it was revealed that certain cracker manufacturers were leaving their prices unchanged but were reducing the size of their boxes. This size change was very difficult to detect and if you didn't check the number of ounces, you would think that you favorite cracker still cost the same. More recently, I heard that breakfast cereal producers were doing the same. In the store recently, I bought a half-gallon of ice cream. Whoops! No I didn't. I bought one and three-quarters quarts of ice cream. All the brands I looked at reduced their former half-gallon package to one and three-quarters quarts.
Manufacturers are going to do everything in their power to get you to buy their products, from advertising, to packaging, to deception of every kind. But as money becomes tighter for the average consumer, we are going to look more closely at the quality of the product and the cost. Hopefully this will mean that our manufacturers will begin to spend more of their money on producing quality products at a fair price and less on dishonest advertising and packaging.
Learn more about this author, Bob Trowbridge.
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