Packaging as a Marketing Tool

In a previous column I noted the origins of the “Four Ps of Marketing.” This past week I came across an article detailing what this author called the eight Ps of marketing. These eight Ps were product, place, price, promotion, people, physical environment, process and packaging. (Ah, the joys of alliteration.)

This column’s purpose is to get us thinking more deeply about the role of packaging in the context of our larger marketing agenda.

Merriam-Webster defines packaging as “material used to enclose or contain something.” Wikipedia states, “Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use.”

From a functional standpoint, packaging is how you protect your product during transportation from your facilities to the end user or customer. From a marketing point of view, packaging is just one more way of making a statement about your company. On a retail store shelf, it is an invaluable differentiator from the competing products that surround it.

When I initially planned to write about packaging my thoughts revolved around things like energy drinks, toothpaste, electric razors and other products that you would find on the shelves of our local retail stores. As I began to dig deeper, I was reminded of an anecdote from my years at Chromaline (now Ikonincs) in the early 90s.

Approximately 30% of Chromaline’s business was overseas at the time. On one occasion a package was shipped to a business in Japan that triggered a startling reaction. The employee who received the package was so struck by the care with which the products were packaged when shipped that he showed his supervisor who then showed the president. The president was so impressed that he picked up the phone and called Tom Erickson, president of Chromaline at that time, to praise our company’s quality standards.

He took this unusual step because far too often American packaging was shoddy. Poorly packaged products can get broken or, when liquid, end up leaking. That can be messy, or even toxic. And it’s bad for your reputation.

Just as you have proofreaders making sure your grammar and data are accurate, so also you need to have someone attending to the details regarding the suitability, durability and elegance of your packaging. Your packaging may be the first actual point of contact with your customer. 

Anyone who has ever bought an Apple product has experienced the care with which Apple designs its packaging. They consider their customer’s first experience with an Apple product is a “moment of truth.” 

What’s Your Message

Though protecting your products is a primary function of packaging, it’s much more than that. As Apple illustrates, packaging is a means of reinforcing the brand. Your brand is who you are. Does your packaging reflect who you are? 

On a store shelf, companies use colors to differentiate their products from similar products. They also use information. You can find nutritional info, warnings, ingredients, directions for use and often – as space permits – a sales proposition. 

Nowadays companies place their website URL on packages for products as diverse as egg cartons and shampoo to deliver additional information that might sway a purchasing decision. 

Values

There are two senses in which packaging and values connect. The first has to do with the relationship between the product and its packaging. Does the packaging reflect the value of what’s inside? 

The second has to do with the values of the consumer. In an era where sustainability and care for the planet are often top-of-mind, every aspect of a product matters, including packaging. This may not be a deal breaker for everyone, but when it comes to a decision between packaging that can be recycled and that which can’t, more and more consumers will go green. This is especially so among the new generation of young people for whom these values are pre-eminent.

Is It Distinctive? 

Most products on retail shelves are clumped with similar or nearly identical products. How do buyers choose? First, the product must capture the attention of your potential buyer before it can sell them. Then, as in toothpaste or shampoo, the label has to answer all the questions in a buyer’s mind because (usually) no salesperson is there to help you.

For example, the carton for Sweet Meadows Farms whole milk answers a whole assortment of questions that some people may be asking. In addition to noting that it is ultra-pasteurized, Vitamin D milk, they have these additional messages on the front. They are 100% farmer owned. The milk comes from pasture grazed cows. There are no artificial growth hormones. And in addition to the usual required nutrition facts they have a bit of sales copy as well: “We love our cows. You will love our milk.”  

The bottom line here is that if you haven’t done it in a while, it may be time to re-visit your packaging. Is it consistent with your brand? 

THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN THE JULY 2021 ISSUE OF BUSINESS NORTH