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We all know that packaging does more than serve as the container for your product, and that labels do more than tell consumers what’s inside. They’re both key manifestations of your brand. So, why do some marketers shoot themselves in the foot when it’s time for a packaging redo?
Here’s an example. My favorite brand of shampoo recently changed its packaging and labeling from the bright color/white lettering I could easily spot on the retailer’s shelf. Because I believed my favorite brand was no longer available I reluctantly purchased a competitor’s brand. A few weeks later I found that my product had been there all along, disguised in reshaped, resized and redesigned packaging with a new font that made it hard to see and read the product name. Worse, the debut of the smaller packaging was accompanied by a hefty price increase.
Truthfully, it was time for the brand to make a change. The once trendy packaging looked dated and stodgy. As for the price increase – manufacturers are in business to make a profit and sometimes you have to increase prices. The problem was that the packaging strategy and rollout seemed disconnected to the brand, and the consumer’s potential reaction completely overlooked or ignored.
So, how do you ensure your packaging strategy achieves business objectives without alienating customers?
Start with your brand positioning strategy. Once established, your brand positioning strategy shouldn’t change radically. But it is important to make course corrections from time to time as your market evolves, your product matures, and competitors innovate. Regularly revisit the core components of your brand positioning strategy to ensure your brand maintains relevance in the marketplace. A recent example: PepsiCo Inc. abandoned the 59-ounce cardboard cartons for their Tropicana Pure Premium juices and replaced them with clear plastic carafes when research showed that “consumers like to see the juice.”
With a solid brand strategy in place, plan how your packaging can reinforce the brand to your core target audience. Ensure the brand strategy is communicated to the design team. Keep an open mind and evaluate concepts based on the brand strategy rather than personal preferences. Test concepts with your target audience, but use feedback as a guide, not a dictate. No component of your packaging is inconsequential – make sure that all elements, including the label, work together to sell the brand and are easily distinguished from competitors.
These days, consumers are more focused on value than ever. If you need to change sizing, raise prices, etc., remind customers why your brand is the best choice for them. Leverage your packaging strategy to create opportunities to reinforce the brand’s value proposition.
Once launched, communicate new packaging to retailers as well as customers. Use display materials and product merchandising to make it easy for customers to find your product. Utilize advertising (traditional and online) social media, email/direct mail materials, press announcements, etc. to tell loyal customers what to expect and how to find products with the redesigned packaging. Consider product promotions to bridge price increases to keep customers from straying to the competition.
Packaging redesigns are important components of an effective brand strategy. Sticking to the above guidelines will maximize your chances of attracting new customers without confusing or losing loyal ones.
New campaign for 8th Continent soy milk focuses on moms to play up the brand’s family roots. The campaign enables 8th Continent to reinforce their family roots without directly attacking category leader Silk which is sold by Dean Foods.
NYTimes.com 8/26/10
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You’ve built a great brand positioning strategy, verified it with research, set measureable goals, created a marketing plan and got your budget approved. You’re confident you can blow the competition away. But how can you be sure that you can deliver an experience that will surprise and delight your customers? Too many companies forget about their employees. Here’s how to provide a positive experience customers won’t forget.
First, create an internal marketing plan. Structure it the same way as an external plan, except the employees are the target audience. What do they need to know to deliver an exemplary brand experience? What issues could affect their performance? What is the timing? What resources and training are needed? How will success be measured?
The authors of Communicating Change: Winning Employee Support for New Business Goals
say it’s important to make sure employees understand how their delivery of the brand experience compares to competitors. Show them how customer perception of the brand impacts the bottom line and their job security---without beating them over the head.
Be clear about what employees need to do. A well known hotel brand reportedly reminds their staff they are “ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.” Is there any doubt of the brand experience this company expects employees to deliver?
State key objectives that impact brand experience such as “Greet customers within 60 seconds,” but don’t overdo it. You have too many if you can’t fit all the key objectives on the back of a business card.
Get employees involved in helping to create the internal marketing plan. And don’t just focus on the customer-facing staff.
Communicate success by letting employees know how sales are going, relate customer reactions and share success stories of how specific employees have gone above and beyond to ensure exceptional delivery of the brand. And reward success. Monetary rewards are always appreciated but sincere appreciation and recognition go a long way too.
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Xerox (XRX), known for selling printers, copiers, inks, toners and paper, is reinventing itself as a company that helps customers to use less of these products. The company hopes the approach will position them competitively and appeal to customers who are attracted to green solutions to reduce costs and their carbon footprints. Newsweek 11/21/08.
Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps recently signed an exclusive deal to promote Subway’s healthy fresh brand positioning. Brandweek 11/21/08.
Pentax is launching a new brand positioning “intended to appeal to “independent spirits who see the world through a different lens,” and to challenge and encourage the independent spirit of photographers who are considering Pentax cameras.” The new tagline: “Be interesting.” MediaPost 11/17/08, Businesswire 11/17/08
Brands "that represent good quality, no-nonsense and excellent value for money” such as
Campbell ’s (CPB) will prosper in 2009. Green brands, those based on corporate social responsibility, as well as status and luxury brands, will struggle says The Economist 11/19/08.
Say buh-bye to PC Magazine; after 27 years the monthly will be printed for the last time in January 2009, but will continue online. Adage 11/24/08.
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A brand is the sum of all the associations, feelings, attitudes and perceptions that people have related to the tangible and intangible characteristics of a company, product or service.
The American Marketing Association defines ‘brand’ as “a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers…A brand may identify one item, a family of items, or all items of that seller.” But the meaning of brand extends to intangible aspects as well, such as associations, feelings and experiences. Philip Kotler, one of the world’s foremost experts on branding offers this definition:
A brand is a complex symbol that can convey up to six levels of meaning:
The extent to which a brand can convince the customer that they provide more meaningful tangible and intangible benefits than competing brands determines the overall strength of the brand.
Brands are important to companies because stronger brands are able to command and sustain higher margins than weaker brands. Brand strength is judged by many measures, including ‘substitution’, the likelihood that the customer will purchase another brand if their brand is not available, price premium, awareness, etc.
Brand positioning strategies attempt to shape the associations, experiences, feelings, attitudes and perceptions that people have about a brand so that they not only view the brand positively, but see the brand as a solution to a specific need, want or ‘pain point’ that they may have.
The completed brand positioning strategy is used as a guideline to determine how the brand is represented, i.e., in logos, taglines, names, colors, products, services, distribution channels, communications channels, messaging, etc.
More info:
- Attributes: A brand brings to mind certain attributes. Mercedes suggests expensive, well-built, well-engineered, durable, high-prestige automobiles.
- Benefits: Attributes must be translated into functional and emotional benefits. The attribute “durable” could translate into the functional benefit “I won’t have to buy another car for several years.” The attribute “expensive” translates into the emotional benefit “The car makes me feel important and admired.”
- Values: The brand also says something about the producer’s values. Mercedes stands for high performance, safety and prestige.
- Culture: The brand may represent a certain culture. The Mercedes represents German culture: organized, efficient, high quality.
- Personality: The brand can project a certain personality. Mercedes may suggest a no-nonsense [person, for example].
- User (Primary Target): The brand suggests the kind of consumer who buys or uses the product. We would expect to see a 55-year-old top executive behind the wheel of a Mercedes, not a 20-year-old secretary.
Philip Kotler Source: Marketing Management, Eleventh Edition, 2003, Prentice Hall
The meaning of 'brand' within the context of online data reporting:
When used to refer to online content or publishers the term 'brand' can have a slightly different meaning. Most likely it refers to a collection of online branded content across a collection of websites that display a consistent, shared brand identity. In this instance, most syndicated research services will count the websites as a single brand for reporting of statistics and other data. A website can only exist under one brand at a time.
Source: Nielsen Online
See also:
captive brand
store brand, private label
national brand
positioning statement
point of difference
pain point
target audience
frame of reference
reason to believe
brand essence
portfolio architecture
commoditization
brand architecture
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Suggested Reading:
The Reason to Believe provides proof that the brand delivers the benefits that it promises to deliver, that benefits are true and credible.
The reason to believe is a key element of the positioning statement.
The reason to believe can include:
- Technical reasons to believe/superiority claims (e.g. 30% faster, or;
- Functional benefits that help prove the emotional brand benefit (e.g. provides superior coverage)
Each benefit will not necessarily have a separate and distinct reason to believe, but the reason to believe collectively should prove to the consumer that the brand does, indeed, deliver its benefits as claimed.
Also referred to as “Brand Proof Points,” “Proof Points,” or “Support”
Criteria for evaluating Reasons to Believe/Proof Points:
