Relaunching a previous product can be successful if more attention is paid to improving limitations and inefficiencies in the first run. Using a modified packaging concept is an ideal way to make an existing product appear new again. Here are some of the key points to remember when relaunching a product in a different package.
What Packages Mean to Consumers
Consumers like convenience at an irresistible price, but they can also be swayed by design. The more a design evokes emotional connections with the consumer, the better chance they will buy it.
The extrinsic characteristics of a product are simply price, package and brand. The key physical unit is the package, which must function in a way that meets both logistics and marketing needs. In each case data associated with the manufacturer, designer and consumer should be analyzed to gain a deeper understanding of why consumers are attracted to certain brands. The essential elements of the package are graphics, color, shape, size, material and product information.
One important point that can easily be overlooked in marketing is that each individual consumer is unique in how they respond to design elements such as color. At the same time, it can be predicted that a certain number of consumers will associate bright colors such as red and orange with vibrant energy, while green and blue tend to be equated with relaxation.
Using an External Consultant
Some companies are able to advance their packaging strategies by outsourcing to an experienced graphic design industry consultancy. Many companies are guided toward success by working with a mentor who studies various markets and knows what levers to pull to create market awareness and disruption. When it comes to food packaging you need to work with someone who already understands existing packaging methods and the laws. From there a designer can strive for innovation within a practical framework.
A consultant who knows the history of food packaging and where possibilities exist to enhance efficiency can help a food company gain a competitive edge. One crucial skill a successful design consultant must have is the focus on how to help a client improve market share by coming up with new ideas that make shopping more convenient or compelling.
Packaging Trends Getting Attention
One popular packaging trend that consumers continue to support is multifunctionality of packs. The more utility you can apply to a package, the more consumers are likely to notice, such as providing reusability, flexibility and easy disposability.
A primary package should protect the food while a secondary package protects the primary package. Keep in mind that consumers perceive these packages to be part of the product, as suggested by a 2001 Underwood, Klein and Burke study. The researchers wrote that the most important extrinsic elements of a food product to a consumer are price, brand and packaging.
Graphic elements and product information are two fundamental design factors that affect consumer perception about packaging. Important graphic elements include color and placement of visual characters, which have a major impact on consumer consciousness. These elements drive the emotion side of the brain while product information feeds the logical side of the brain. Graphic shapes and structural components are vital to capturing a shopper's attention.
Consumers are also starting to pay attention to packaging materials as well as product ingredients. They want to know they are not contributing to environmental destruction or waste, so it's wise to use sustainable packaging materials. Shoppers around the world are increasingly looking for packaging that's eco-friendly, affordable and can be recycled.
The MAYA principle, which stands for "most advanced yet acceptable" has been part of packaging philosophy since the early 1950s. It suggests that a new product design should not be altered too much from the original design. If the new package is too radically different, it may be difficult for the consumer to find. Incremental packaging changes are often favored among large food producers to go along with the past investment of brand building.
Conclusion
Sometimes a product that's a miss the first time around can be a hit the next time around with more effective packaging design. The key is for designers to learn from consumers what their associations are with the product and to reflect it in the packaging design.
