Before developing any package for a new branded product or a repackaged
product, research has to be done to uncover the underlying brand’s core
attributes. Research is conducted in a number of phases, and one very
important research element is not only about unearthing corporate brand
values but also consumer brand perceptions, since the two should be,
but are not always in complete alignment.
Research is always conducted in the pre-packaging phase, of course. But
shifts have occurred in recent years because of our evolution in
understanding about the consumer, as well as our desire to better
quantify packaging’s delivery on core brand assets. Following are some
areas to tap for those essential emotive cues.
Focus groups. While consumer focus groups have been used for some time,
more contemporary thinking has evolved about their role and value in
assessing brands and packaging. Consumer packaged goods companies and
design and research consultancies use focus groups, whether
individually or in concert.
Focus groups are perhaps best utilized in first assessing current or
proposed packaging vis-à -vis their perceptions of the brand’s core
attributes, and how well these are communicated in the packaging. As a
logical next step, feedback should be given as to how the packaging
performs within a retail context. Since retail environments in all
channels are filled with myriad brands to the breaking point, and those
are the actual environments in which consumers make purchases, it makes
sense to approximate a retail setting when testing overall response to
packaging.
Researchers and CPG companies should then conduct category audits,
either independently or in tandem, to assess competing brands and
packaging. While industry data reports are a starting point, raw sales
and category ranking data hardly communicate the entire story. What are
the category leaders doing well to leverage their brand assets? How are
they telling their story? Do their points of differentiation come
through quickly and clearly? Are they presenting compelling customer
experiences through their branding and packaging?
Eye trackers. Researchers now employ a technique referred to as “eye
tracking”. A scientific device evaluates consumers’ eye movements as
they scan packaging that appears in a retail shelf set, noting where
the subjects’ eyes go and how long they linger. Numerous groups of
consumers can be tracked in this way, offering more of a sampling to
CPG companies and consultants than a single focus group can.
Setting up a realistic retail setting and products as they appear on
the shelf closely approximates a retail-shopping environment. It also
tests direct consumer responses to packaging, rather than seeking
opinions. Questions posed by researchers, as well as comments made
within focus groups tend to color the discussion in certain ways,
influencing respondents’ answers.
However, this is an imperfect science, too. There are many reasons
consumers’ eyes may linger on one package more than others; measuring
this can be misleading. It also does not signify that core brand
attributes are being delivered sans any communication with respondents,
either. Without additional information concerning the brand assets
themselves, some of this data, which is expensive to obtain, may be
rather inconclusive.
The Internet as a research tool. In the past five years, the Internet
has given market researchers a powerful new tool. Collecting data via
the Internet has several advantages: It’s fast and inexpensive; a large
sampling can be easily done and responses are not tainted by
interviewers’ or other respondents’ influences. As is the case with eye
trackers, well-designed Internet programs allow respondents to view a
retail shelf set in order to make judgments about packaging.
Packaging is seen in a virtual setting that mimics the retail
environment, and respondents are asked to pick out the packaging in
question from among its competitors’ and to identify its position
within the set afterward. This simple test measures how memorable the
packaging in question is to the consumer, and whether or not a quick
viewing of it made any impact on them. Internet programs can also track
respondents’ answers about packaging attributes and the positives or
negatives associated with them, as well as gauge their potential
interest in purchasing the products.
Research using these methods begins to uncover a brand’s key drivers
with consumers. Some of these drivers are overt, some dominant, and
still others hidden and waiting to be discovered. These drivers are
capable of soliciting an emotional reaction from the consumer when
uncovered and fully applied to packaging solutions. The presentation of
the brand identity, package structure, brand cues, color, typography,
communications hierarchy and every other design element all present an
opportunity to align with the core brand in a tangible way to the
consumer.
By identifying the point at which the consumer experiences the brand in
a positive manner, we can begin to consider packaging solutions that
will heighten that customer experience.
Packaging can, and should be, the ultimate brand communicator. While
tangible, it can deliver the intangibles of the brand like nothing else
since the customer can see it, touch it, and be engaged by it.
Packaging should speak to the emotions, not just the rational mind, of
the customer. Dry packaging that dutifully lists features and benefits
alone seeks out an intellectual response. That prompts the customer to
think and employ reason: “Should I purchase this brand vs. the other
brands here?” It does not, however, elicit a prompt decision.
Decision-making is a process.
On the other hand, packaging that unabashedly appeals to the emotions
of the customer, leads to more direct action. While this trend of
thought is more recent, researchers have put forth their findings in
the area of consumer behavioral science which brand managers and
designers are turning to in order to form stronger brand-consumer
connections.
In his book “Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking,” Malcolm
Gladwell cites that humans hone in more strongly on visual brand
messages that get their attention at the emotional level. Hence,
packaging presents companies with one of their strongest visual
branding opportunities.
CPG companies like Procter & Gamble have been working in this area
more and more, honing their product offerings and branding: Web sites,
advertising/marketing, consumer promotions, and packaging to meet the
consumer’s emotional needs, rather than their more functional needs,
with great results.
While it takes time to develop an emotional rapport with consumers, a
brand relationship that ultimately develops is enduring and very
meaningful. Starbucks parlays its strong lifestyle brand image and cues
it in its packaging. Without a strong emotional tie to Starbucks, its
customers would surely not pay such premium prices for a cup of coffee
or latte. Nor would they shell out for Starbucks’ packaged coffees.
As one of the nation’s premier grocers, Whole Foods’ product lines,
including its private-label products, command a loyal following due to
the brand’s lifestyle and emotional appeal to consumers. Price has
nothing to do with purchasing groceries at Whole Foods because
consumers can shop elsewhere and spend far less money. While purchasing
food fulfills life’s most basic of needs, purchasing at Whole Foods
fulfills one’s dream of more nutritious, healthier fare—and a greener
lifestyle--from companies that practice sustainability and support
environmental causes.
How, then, to package emotion? Structure, typography, use of color, and
symbolism that evoke an emotional response can stop customers in their
tracks. Thus, savvy brands do not sell specific products. They sell the
intangibles; and these are the emotional needs consumers seek to
fulfill most.
For example, successful orange juice brands like Tropicana do not sell
the quality or freshness of their products. They sell health and
well-being. Cereal companies that are now offering whole grains in
their products do not tout this feature alone. They appeal to parents
by making them feel good about providing more wholesome goodness for
their children. Thus, Lucky Charms not only appeals to children, it is
now a healthier product, so it appeals to parents, as well.
Personal care companies are wise to package their brands as spa-like
experiences rather than mundane bath, body, and hair care products.
Smart packaging also activates the sense of smell, by using essential
oils and aromatherapy. Engaging packaging increasingly offers customers
a multisensory experience. Spa lines can now be found in salons,
natural product stores and mass-market retail outlets. Lines like
Calgon, Aveda, Amazon Herbs are but a few brands that allow consumers
to pamper themselves in the privacy of their own bathrooms, turning
those environments into spas.
P&G has integrated aromatherapy essential oils into its latest Tide
and Downy fabric care product offerings in a clever marketing move. The
branding of Tide Simple Pleasures products adds to the enjoyment of
wearing garments or placing linens on the bed that have been laundered
and softened with favorite aromatherapy combinations.
Packaging can play a key role in delivering a brand’s core assets to
meet the consumer’s deeper emotional needs. Caveat: The brand promise
has to be fulfilled in the customer’s mind over and over again to
cement a deep and satisfying relationship.
Here are some compelling key emotional drivers to consider as you conduct your research:
* A reinforced sense of well-being, health or wholesomeness delivered by the brand
* A reinforced sense of doing something better for one’s family and loved ones delivered by the brand
* A perceived sense of enjoyment to be derived by purchasing the brand
and reinforced each time the consumer purchases and uses that brand’s
products
* A perceived lifestyle fit, or the aspiration of a certain lifestyle as delivered by specific brands
* A sense of enjoyment reinforced by positive brand experiences over time with the brand
* A sense of status delivered by the brand
* A reminder of many past enjoyment experiences and fulfilled promises by a heritage brand
Since we know that retail studies demonstrate that up to 85% of
consumer purchases are made on impulse, how meaningful is it when a
consumer makes an emotional connection to one particular brand among
myriad choices on the shelf? If that product then delivers on its brand
promise, how much more likely will it be for that consumer to begin
forming a relationship with it, especially if all of the other
touchpoints of the brand are aligned, and their emotional needs are met?
