Packaging is one of the most important, and yet often under-valued elements of the marketing communication mix for a CPG company. Often, developing packaging is delegated to the most junior members of the brand team. But this under-valuation isn’t the biggest problem with packaging design. The biggest problem is this: In most businesses, packaging needs to work more for shoppers than for consumers; and yet in many organizations, CPG packaging design is managed exclusively by the consumer marketing team.
Designing packaging isn’t easy or low-value
Packaging really does have to work hard. It needs to resonate with consumers, it needs to protect the product and communicate all of the legal requirements. It has to meet logistics and retail standards to be accepted throughout the value chain. And it really has to work for shoppers.
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If CPG packaging Design doesn’t work for shoppers, it doesn’t work
It is on the shelf that packaging has to communicate most – if the product doesn’t work on the shelf; is not visible to shoppers, doesn’t attract them, and give them the message they need, then it isn’t working hard enough.
Packaging is one of the most powerful shopper communication tools available
Packaging is a remarkably efficient shopper communication tool, taking your message to every outlet your product is stocked in. Yet when the in-store marketing mix is being defined, packaging as a communication tool is often forgotten. Many major companies share their shopper marketing mix, or their 5Ps guidelines, or their PICOS (Picture of Success) – all as a ‘comprehensive’ way of connecting with shoppers. Packaging rarely features.
Packaging design needs to recognize the differences between consumers and shoppers
Yet that message only works best if it is tuned to the target, and in a retail outlet, that is the shopper. And it is therefore important to understand that the shopper isn’t the same as the consumer.
In every category we’ve ever worked in, there are at least some shoppers who are not the end-consumer. And even if they are the same person, the mindset, attitudes, situation, mental processing and decision-making processes are all different. So, it is critical that CPG packaging design builds in both the consumer and shopper lenses.
Packaging design needs to work for consumers
Of course, packaging needs to work for consumers. It needs to be functional, of appropriate size, etc. It needs to protect the product as well. Sometimes it needs to look attractive or premium (if I am going to serve product in the packaging for example). It might even need to stand out in a pantry full of other products so I can find it (or I remember I have it). Don’t get me wrong, understand consumer needs and ensuring that the packaging design delivers against these is a critical part of packaging design.
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Packaging needs to communicate consumer benefits – to the shopper
And yes, packaging design should also communicate consumer benefits. But it needs to communicate these through the shopper. At the shelf, when a purchase decision is being made, it may well be important to communicate the consumer benefits. We might need to talk about the superior taste or superior performance. But we have to communicate that via a shopper. Possibly a different person. Possibly in a very different mindset. If we ignore these differences then we risk not speaking shopper language. We risk using consumer language that might work brilliantly in a different situation, but that will fail miserably on the shelf.
Packaging Design needs to communicate shopper benefits too
And recognizing that the ‘at-shelf’ communication has to go through a shopper, then it is always a good idea to communicate shopper benefits too, if we have any to speak about. Is our product cheaper, easier to carry? Can we save a shopper time? Money? Can we reassure the shopper that they are buying the right product and therefore reduce the risk of them trying our product? Much of this is lost if we conflate the words consumer and shopper.
Ensure packaging is part of an integrated shopper communication mix
The concept of a marketing mix has been around for decades, making it clear that influencing is best done with a combination of factors all pulling together. Shopper marketing is the same. There is a mix of shopper marketing strategies and tactics that we can use to achieve our shopper marketing objectives. And packaging should be seen as one element within this. If your current shopper marketing mix model doesn’t include packaging design, you are fighting with one arm tied behind your back!
Should packaging design be passed across to the shopper marketing team?
Whenever I discuss packaging at conferences or workshops, it is at this point that someone usually asks this question. While I’m tempted to say ‘yes’ that really misses the point. I’d argue that it doesn’t matter who is ultimately responsible for developing packaging as much as the process by which it is developed, and who is involved in the process. In my experience, prizing packaging development out of the hands of brand marketers might be tough (for some brand managers it might be one of their biggest tasks!) – and it isn’t worth the fight.
What is worth the fight however is to make sure that the packaging design process is as much shopper-centric as it is consumer-centric. Ensure that effective shopper insight is included in the packaging development brief: that there is as much clarity about the target shopper as there is about the target consumer.
Test your packaging design where it matters: on the shelf!
And lastly, if the success of your packaging redesign rests and falls on its performance at the shelf, then test it at the shelf. Either using real store or virtual store tests: we can only really tell if packaging works by testing it on a shelf, in front of your target shoppers.
Build a shopper strategy before you get into any tactics – including packaging Design
All of this points to the massive strategic value of brilliant consumer- and shopper-centric packaging. But that powerhouse is only really delivered at the shelf when it is integrated as part of a shopper strategy that pulls together the entire shopper marketing mix to deliver brand and category objectives. And if you haven’t got your brand strategy, category strategy and shopper strategy all aligned, then none of your marketing is going to be as effective as it could be. How much do you spend on total marketing again? If you want to know how to make every marketing dollar more effective, get in touch now. We have a range of solutions, from research to advisory to coaching to training to help get better value out of your marketing. Including your packaging! Get in touch now.