What's the most iconic packaging in Great Britain?

Creating brand recognition is essential for consumer packaged goods companies. New research commissioned by Easyfairs, organizers of Packing Innovations and Luxury Packaging London, found FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) brands dominated the top 10.

An online study of 1,500 Brits conducted online during July explored the influence of packaging and branding on everyday shoppers and found that one in six thought the Coca-Cola bottle was the most identifiable in terms of packaging, and was just as recognizable without its logo or the product itself.

Alex Center, Design Director at The Coca-Cola Company, says, "Packaging has always been at the core of the Coca-Cola brand. Our bottle is our most visible and most valuable asset. While ads on TV, online or billboards will always be important, nothing beats the feeling of a cold Coca-Cola bottle in your hand. That is the ultimate experience design."

An Easyfairs press release notes, “Over the last few years Coca-Cola has significantly altered its marketing approach to encompass the younger audience too, and it seems to have paid off with one in five Millennials selecting the bottle as the most recognisable pack product.”

Greatest packaging inventions

The study also revealed barcodes as the greatest packaging invention, with one quarter of Brits picking the famous parallel black and white lines.

The “cardboard box” came in a close second with 21% of the vote, followed by resealable zips (20%) and vacuum packaging (16%).

The 18-34 year-old groups voted for 3D Printing and resealable zips as its top two. Only 3% of those respondents aged 65 and older saw 3D printing as the greatest packaging invention to date.

The Top 10

The Toblerone triangular prism bar finished a close runner up, while respondents’ “love hate’ ”relationship with Marmite continued with the iconic Jar coming in third place as the best-loved product packaging.

The Pringles tin, housed in its iconic cylinder tube, was voted the Millennial’s second favourite package.

In order, the “Top 10 Most Recognizable Brand’s Packaging” are as follows:

1. Coca-Cola bottle
2. Toblerone triangle
3. Marmite jar
4. Pringles tube
5. KFC bucket
6. Heinz ketchup bottle
7. Fairy liquid bottle
8. Apple’s iPhone box
9. Walkers crisp package
10. Amazon box

Gerry Sherwood, Event Director for the Easyfairs’ Packaging Portfolio, who commissioned the survey, says: “Millennials have officially passed Baby Boomers as the largest generation in history, and are more personally connected to their favorite brands than ever before. It is therefore not surprising to see 3D printing come out on top in our poll for this age group. We are in an era where almost anything is possible, from personalized packaging to augmented reality, so we have no excuses when it comes to targeting the appropriate audience. Consumers are demanding more from the brands they purchase, they want to feel special and be able to interact with the products ‘right now,’ so it is the brands’ responsibility to make sure they can.”