If a product chose not to promote itself through any popular media and restrain its ad-spend to zero, the only means it would have to connect with the buyer would be its packaging. This makes packaging a basic and impressive facet of brand creation besides other reasons. Take Maggi noodles for example. The primary aspect of the pack, which is yellow, has cleverly remained to stay the same all these years. Millions of consumers in India would vouch for having experienced nostalgia every time they lay eyes on that pack. This brand connect is one of the most basic and most powerful tools a marketer can hope to have while addressing gigantic markets and competing with numerous copy-cats. At the shop counter, packaging presents the final opportunity to convince a consumer to make his purchase decision.
Quality guarantee is one of the manifold ways where packaging comes into play. Tetra Pak, for example, is amongIndia’s premier packaging companies that has campaigned its credo, ‘Protects What’s Good.’ Its advertisements on television displayed all the brands available in Tetra Pak and assure consumers of the safety of consuming these.
Yet, packaging is more than a mode of distinction; it is in fact, the ability to jog the consumer’s memory at the point of purchase. This is proven by the new range of Mirinda soft drinks packaged in outlandish but memorable styles, enabling it to create much more recall than its competitors. In the same beverage category, Appy Fizz brought Bollywood heartthrob Saif Ali Khan on board along with a distinctive positioning proposition
In order to appeal to children, even beyond metros, Kissan Jams created low-priced and attractive tube packs. Similarly, to convince audiences that coffee will not lose its aroma on multiple use, BRU Coffee came up with its aroma-lock packaging.to etch its unique place in the fizzy drinks hierarchy. In fact, the bottle which has been shaped to resemble a champagne bottle has earmarked it as a premium beverage.
In addition to consumables, packaging of beauty and hygiene products is another significant area. HUL’s Lifebuoy has existed in the Indian market for more than 112 years. It has always been the brand associated to germicidal properties and had a masculine appeal. However, with the entrance of several me-toos that guaranteed the same advantages, Lifebuoy was forced to reposition itself through a change in product characteristics and packaging. In 2002, the soap took on an evolved avatar, and so did its new pink packaging. It did this to become a family product that offered hygiene as well as beauty.
Several personal care brands have re-launched their products in smaller packet sizes to make their products more affordable for rural target groups. HUL and Revlon are said to have fired up this trend. Revlon was the first to offer 8 ml packs of nail polishes and lipsticks.
These instances indicate that by making a simple change in packaging, the products mentioned above were able to create a direct improvement in brand appeal and sales. Evincing the importance of packaging in current market conditions, an Indian design service provider Desmania organised Packinnova 2011, a unique competition for innovative packaging ideas. It was held under the aegis of Procter & Gamble, where the company invited students from the country’s design institutes to submit their concepts on packaging for tiny volumes. With so much significance accorded to packaging, especially by FMCG companies, much optimism is in store for rural consumers who will now choose products that suit their requirements better and more easily. Manufacturers need to gear up to match their requirements with innovative and attractive packaging time and again.
