I tell my students that while the item inside their package is the commodity, it’s the packaging that provides the value (while protecting, containing, and providing utility of use, of course). However, when confronted with options for packaging, many of us seem to separate the product from the package and focus on cost reduction. My goal is to demonstrate that packaging is so valuable that selecting the best design, versus the best price, will increase revenue, improve product quality, and positively influence the emotions of consumers.
You may have heard about the famous taste tests featuring the same beverage in a paper cup, an aluminum can, a glass bottle, and a plastic container. Reactions to the flavor of that beverage in each of the different containers vary wildly, which makes sense because the materials are very different and have their own associated taste when pressed against our lips. We’ve all likely experienced the difference in taste ourselves across the beverages we consume within vessels of various materials.
