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Packaging a PRODUCT!

Marketing, social media, advertising

sparechange

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Hello!

I wanted to share a thought in my head as I myself have actually been a victim to marketing and product packaging.

What do I mean? Next time you go shopping, or buy gas for your car, take a few minutes to walk around the aisles. What do you notice in the candy section? The energy drink section? The healthy section?

Right now I just went out to grab some snacks (redbull and some cliff bars) And I couldn't help but notice the beautiful colors of my lovely $5 red bull,

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Personally my favorite color is blue, I'd imagine the people running redbull know that this is a very common favorite color.

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Honestly I know this crap is super bad for me, but dam do they taste good. So I thought to myself, WHY am I ONLY buying redbull? I can say for myself (and this sounds completely insane) & YES it is a completely subconscious decision that I'm making! I've never had any of the other energy drinks because I don't like the colors or design of the other drinks.

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Compare the design, visuals, aesthetics and colors of red bull and the other drinks, red bull is 100% better looking than any other the other drinks above. In fact I'd go as far to say that they are down right ugly!



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Let's compare, what do YOU think is the most visually appealing can?

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As fastlaners it's something to strongly consider, the way we market our brands, what colors we use etc etc.

Are you missing out on sales because you are using the wrong colors? Does your packaging suck!?!? Is it ANY surprise that the candy bars above ALL have shiny and bright beautiful colors? What does that do psychologically to the kid running down the aisle at the grocery store seeing those bright colors in the candy aisle?

Compare the Twix bar (one of my favs!) to the milky way, or hersheys. What stands out at first glance? What if candy bar packaging was plain black, or grey? Would that effect sales!?!?

Food for thought!redbullllll.JPG
 
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Tourmaline

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Surprised this had no replies! Interesting post...packaging is quite intriguing.
 

Xeon

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sparechange

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PizzaOnTheRoof

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LONG POST INCOMING

I think Bangs are a big success because of their flavors. They taste like what they say instead of having that generic "energy drink" flavor.

BTW I'm a huge packaging slut. I keep all of my old Apple boxes, and try out new brands simply because I love the packaging.

BeardBrand:
32742

Ajiri Kenyan Black Tea:
32743

LUSH Cosmetics has no packaging for most items. For soap, you can slice off a piece of a bigger block by the ounce. Not to mention the colors! You can touch, smell, and test all of the products in the store:
32745
32746

"No packaging is a level of packaging" - Uncle G

Great article about Apples packaging design, and how to create a "sensory experience" with your packaging: How packaging gives Apple's buyers a sensory experience that reinforces brand - Personalics

“To fully grasp how seriously Apple executives sweat the small stuff, consider this: For months, a packaging designer was holed up in this room performing the most mundane of tasks – opening boxes.”

Microsoft Redesigns The iPod Packaging:

Tips for designing a "sensory experience":
  1. Design from the outside in. Put package design at the top of the priority list, not at the bottom. Spend as much time unpacking your boxes as you do figuring out how to pack them.
  2. Break the rules. Create a conventional package design and make a list of its characteristics. Then make a list of the opposites of those characteristics and experiment with using them in your package design. Use color in uncharacteristic ways – resist visual clichés such as using black to convey “high tech” or unbleached cardboard to communicate “natural,” says Ted Mininni of packaging and licensing design firm Design Force.
  3. After you decide what could go on the box, start taking things take off. Focus on differentiators that set your brand apart.
  4. Imitate the best. Creative Bloq has an extensive list of packaging design resources to get your creative juices running.
More packaging porn:
32748
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32752
 

sparechange

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LONG POST INCOMING

I think Bangs are a big success because of their flavors. They taste like what they say instead of having that generic "energy drink" flavor.

BTW I'm a huge packaging slut. I keep all of my old Apple boxes, and try out new brands simply because I love the packaging.

BeardBrand:
View attachment 32742

Ajiri Kenyan Black Tea:
View attachment 32743

LUSH Cosmetics has no packaging for most items. For soap, you can slice off a piece of a bigger block by the ounce. Not to mention the colors! You can touch, smell, and test all of the products in the store:
View attachment 32745
View attachment 32746



Great article about Apples packaging design, and how to create a "sensory experience" with your packaging: How packaging gives Apple's buyers a sensory experience that reinforces brand - Personalics



Microsoft Redesigns The iPod Packaging:

Tips for designing a "sensory experience":
  1. Design from the outside in. Put package design at the top of the priority list, not at the bottom. Spend as much time unpacking your boxes as you do figuring out how to pack them.
  2. Break the rules. Create a conventional package design and make a list of its characteristics. Then make a list of the opposites of those characteristics and experiment with using them in your package design. Use color in uncharacteristic ways – resist visual clichés such as using black to convey “high tech” or unbleached cardboard to communicate “natural,” says Ted Mininni of packaging and licensing design firm Design Force.
  3. After you decide what could go on the box, start taking things take off. Focus on differentiators that set your brand apart.
  4. Imitate the best. Creative Bloq has an extensive list of packaging design resources to get your creative juices running.
More packaging porn:
View attachment 32748
View attachment 32749
View attachment 32750
View attachment 32751
View attachment 32752

Great post (wasnt that long :p )
 

Walter Hay

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Surprised this had no replies! Interesting post...packaging is quite intriguing.
Well, I put it off because replying will smack of self promotion, but here I go.......

The OP is not alone in making decisions on the basis of color. Here is an extract from Chapter 15 of my book:
"In a research paper by Satyendra Singh (Department of Administrative Studies, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Canada) he stated: “Color is ubiquitous and is a source of information. People make up their minds within 90 seconds of their initial interactions with either people or products. About 62‐90 percent of the assessment is based on colors alone. "

This little extract on its own should be sufficient to alert all those who are selling B2C that they neglect at their cost the importance of selecting colors to suit their target market. I bolded the researcher's punchline.

Walter
 
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sparechange

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I love the bee box design, beautiful stuff.

Well, I put it off because replying will smack of self promotion, but here I go.......

The OP is not alone in making decisions on the basis of color. Here is an extract from Chapter 15 of my book:
"In a research paper by Satyendra Singh (Department of Administrative Studies, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Canada) he stated: “Color is ubiquitous and is a source of information. People make up their minds within 90 seconds of their initial interactions with either people or products. About 62‐90 percent of the assessment is based on colors alone. "

This little extract on its own should be sufficient to alert all those who are selling B2C that they neglect at their cost the importance of selecting colors to suit their target market. I bolded the researcher's punchline.

Walter

It's certainly true, picture this... a scruffy macho looking man standing in the aisle of a grocery store, looking a bags of potato chips.

32753

Now, pretend there is a pink bag of chips, would our scruffy macho man buy a bag of pink chips? Highly unlikely!

For me I like the color Red here, so without me even using my brain, my eyes are gravitating towards the lays ketchup bag, and guess what, I don't wanna buy them because of the taste BUT...my eyes instantly aim at the red lays ketchup.

Sometimes customers will make silly decisions like that.
 

Walter Hay

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Now, pretend there is a pink bag of chips, would our scruffy macho man buy a bag of pink chips? Highly unlikely!

For me I like the color Red here, so without me even using my brain, my eyes are gravitating towards the lays ketchup bag, and guess what, I don't wanna buy them because of the taste BUT...my eyes instantly aim at the red lays ketchup.

Sometimes customers will make silly decisions like that.
That is exactly the point. Color choice can be critical, so you need to think about your target audience. There are definitely strong biases towards certain colors.

Sellers shouldn't rely on assumptions or intuition. Instead, do some research. For example, using pink because your market is female, could be a bad choice. Often the nature of the product would be the determining factor in color choice.

Walter
 
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sparechange

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In my first business I formulated car care products and sold them direct to consumer on my website, and through car care retailers. My most popular product was a solid performer and it was unique in the industry.

After a reformulation I had a colorful label designed to match the color of the product and added a grape scent. I remember reading threads on car care forums about the scent with no mention of its performance or intended use.

Soon after, everything I did smelled like bubble gum, cotton candy, and other familiar scents.
 

Visionary96

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I love the design of these Huel bars and the drink bottles are the exact same design. I mean all it is some Helvetica font on a plain white background with a small chocolate graphic but it really stands out.

Sometimes vibrant in your face colours aren't always required to catch one's eye.
 
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PizzaOnTheRoof

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While I do think blue, being the most favored color, is a huge influence, there are additional factors at play in Red Bull cans.

I’ve learned quite a bit from my wife over the years. She’s an accomplished painter, studied in painting and illustration, minored in art ed. Her knack is teaching visual perspective and I am fortunate to be her best student ;-)

The Red Bull can’s most influential attribute is its contrast. Second to that is its simplicity. There is tremendous value in simplicity. Third is the color blue.

Humans have a strange affinity to contrast; it begins in infancy and carries into maturity. We love contrast. Humans also crave simplicity. Visual overload turns people away. We see this with cluttered websites, large restaurant menus, messy workstations, etc.

The Red Bull can is a masterpiece. It has contrast, simplicity and features the world’s most favored color.
 

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I prefer RedBull too, and I also think to myself: "why do I get the most expensive energy drink if they're all sugary trash with some caffeine in them"?

I don't think it's the design. I believe it's the brand. RedBull is supposedly used by the world's best athletes. Many of these sports are very niche and radical, and RedBull organizes their events.

When I buy RedBull I love the (delusional) idea that some of the world's most radical people drink it and do incredible things. The higher price also adds a quality feel, and I love their original flavor.

Other energy drinks are consumed by teenage influencers who are nothing like whom I want to be and associate myself with. Their flavors are also wild and are much more intense than RedBull's, thus they feel even less healthy.
 
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Walter Hay

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I prefer RedBull too, and I also think to myself: "why do I get the most expensive energy drink if they're all sugary trash with some caffeine in them"?

I don't think it's the design. I believe it's the brand. RedBull is supposedly used by the world's best athletes. Many of these sports are very niche and radical, and RedBull organizes their events.

When I buy RedBull I love the (delusional) idea that some of the world's most radical people drink it and do incredible things. The higher price also adds a quality feel, and I love their original flavor.

Other energy drinks are consumed by teenage influencers who are nothing like whom I want to be and associate myself with. Their flavors are also wild and are much more intense than RedBull's, thus they feel even less healthy.
What you have done by choosing RedBull is that you have joined the tribe. Tribal appeal is seriously overlooked when researching a potential market.

One of the major emotional triggers influencing a purchase is the need to belong.

Walter
 

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