I need some packaging...

Monday, 01 March 2010 16:35

Marketing guru Chris Leibbrandt moves on to the third part of his back-to-basics series of marketing articles – this month, packaging.

Last month we got our working prototype finalised and sitting on our desk waiting for the next phase of its journey, from concept to delivery. So, where does this widget fit into our product portfolio, and what can we do to guarantee its place on the value ladder? It’s all very well having a fabulous product but the next stage in the journey is critical – so critical that it can make or break a product no matter how good it is. (I always seem to be saying that, but it’s true!) The next stage is where I see many simple errors; nearly every one involves cutting corners and skimping on the one area where it is absolutely crucial to get things right. This area is where we can change the consumers view of a product and – in extreme cases – their view of the brand and the company itself. Yes, I am talking about another P: Packaging.

The big picture

Surely packaging is just a simple process of getting your product on the wall? Well, yes it can be, but it’s best not left to the production guys. Yes, they are specialised in their skills and, yes, they make things, but they generally don’t cost them out, sell them or really take much notice of them outside of their production plant. The marketing man is the key person who will make this project work, the product sell and consider all the aspects that make a product saleable. In working through the packaging process we will have decided how we want to pitch our product – is it high end and low volume or low end and high volume? Or is it entirely different – a strategic product designed to break a market or set a trend? Just how many ways are there of packaging a widget? The answer is plenty, and all of them need consideration. You can no longer view packaging as a burdensome cost that you have to put up with; it is part of the complete proposition.

Cheap and cheerful

This ‘cheap and cheerful’ packaging method is usually employed by the inventors in their sheds. They make a great product, then the trail goes cold. I’ve seen some divine bits of engineering that have had ridiculously bad packaging; for example, the old favourite of a folded-card header, and a stapled-on plastic bag with the product hanging forlornly inside. When you question the manufacturer of the product you’ll often find that his favourite daughter, who is good at drawing, designed the packaging on the kitchen table. Okay, so it can work, generally speaking, but it will add nothing to the product – it will not engage or step it up onto the value-added ladder. It will also drive designers into an apoplectic rage, and there is nothing more annoying than that! ‘Cheap and cheerful’ is no way to start an empire.

Is it green, maroon, blue or hi-tech?

Once you make the move to embrace packaging as part of the product then you have to decide what it says to the consumer and, indeed, the outside world. Ideally, packaging should be a blend of both high technology and ‘green’, as it is now very important to make sure your packaging has a low environmental impact. Certain colours can send out different messages; they can convey expensive, timeless classics and embody traditional values. Colour combinations of deep green, maroon and deep blue with gold lettering are the most often seen – Harrods is a classic example. Hi-tech packaging is fine, and the use of clear, recyclable plastics is okay as long as the minimum amount of solvents and glues are used. It can be difficult to convey the low environmental impact of clear plastic, but you can ensure that the message is delivered by using simple earthy colours and unbleached paper and card. This can look very sophisticated, and applying the correct recycling logos offers your product the vicarious benefits of saving the planet. You should also ensure that every component can be recycled. This is a serious goal, and not only does it enhance your reputation as a world saver, it also complies with current or future recycling legislation.

Lord of the aisles?

As a marketing man and designer I am highly critical of packaging. My kids are forever telling me off for admiring some brilliant examples of packaging in the supermarket, where different brands are jostling to become lord of the aisles. Quite simply, bad packaging tells me that the company selling the product doesn’t understand the whole marketing process. It’s a sign that says: “We’re not quite as good as our product looks.” If a company thinks little of the packaging process, what will it be like when it comes to after sales – will warranties and insurance take the place of real customer care? What people and consumers see from a distance is as important as the product itself – if not more so. In the same way your desk staff who answer the phone are your product. Surly or impolite telephone answering means to most people bad service and represents a company that they would rather forget. Without good packaging it’s impossible to attract consumers to your products in a busy retail environment and, in that context, you often need all the help you can get. Packaging is more than just a way of conveying your products to the marketplace, it is an emotional issue that has many psychological aspects. Invest in making them work for you and ignore them at your peril! As my mother always said to me: “Why spoil a ship for a ha’ pence of tar?”

Now we have our retailer-ready, packaged product, our finalised item is ready for the next part of the marketing marathon. It’s another very tricky issue and is the next P of the four: Pricing.

The marketing basics: the four Ps

The four Ps are the cornerstones of marketing and critical in building a successful business. Product, price, promotion and place are so vital because they create the foundations – the starting point, the platform of any marketing activity.

If you are ever in a fix (you can always contact me) and really can’t see how to solve your dilemma, resort to the four Ps – distill your problems down to these basics to see how the light will look at the end of the tunnel. You can address nearly every marketing, and management, dilemma by breaking the issues down, getting back to the basics and returning to the four Ps.