The packaging acts as an extension of the brand, and if attention is paid to the brand strategy, it is appropriate to do so when reaching the end of the cycle with delivery to the customer as well. l Carlos Puig*

* President of Branward. [email protected]

A good packaging sells. No company that invests millions in developing a product can afford the luxury of not having a good packaging design strategy. This however does happen. In many cases, the packaging is in the hands of a mere subjective evaluation. 

The act of purchase represents in itself a moment of maximum emotionality in relationship with the brand, regardless of the category where our product is located.

With more than 80% of purchase decisions made at the sales outlet, the presentation of the product is the only form of marketing that 100% of customers can see.

Consumers tend to repeat the purchase of those products of brands that generate confidence. When a brand manages to correctly transmit its attributes throughout all its products, recognition will be immediate. In this process, emotions play a fundamental role. The packaging that sells connects directly with the consumer’s mind and heart, which filter all the attributes with maximum efficiency and speed. When something catches our attention, the brain will keep it in our memory, and it first has to connect it with the heart.

Creating a packaging that clearly synthesizes the values of the brand and knows how to tell the best of the product in an instant is essential to gain the trust of the customers. This packaging does not only look for a visual impact, it values the easy understanding of a promise to link it to a brand of the consumer’s trust.

There are three levers on which an effective packaging can help to grow the brand:

1.- It facilitates the synthesis: The shelves are saturated with products. Nobody can afford to be the same as the other one; a good packaging helps to achieve a differentiation of a brand. For this, a process capable of synthesizing the attributes and benefits of the brand in a simple and clear packaging, which connects easily, is necessary.

2.- It promotes the innovation: Innovation needs the brand as a guide to connect the benefit that the organization has with the wishes and needs of consumers. An effective packaging increases the competitive efficiency of the company increasing the value that customers perceive.

3.- It strengthens the emotional bonds: Packaging is an excellent platform to generate emotional bonds with customers. It is a perfect base to connect with them throughout the life of the product and to strengthen the dialogue with the brand, and even opening it to other channels.

Without any doubt, packaging is part of the brand-building strategy. An effective packaging has a significant impact on the knowledge and recognition of the brand, in the management of customer expectations and is configured as an excellent way of information between the organization and the user. To achieve this, marketing, branding and packaging must be aligned in the construction of messages, value proposition and communication.

In this context, the effective management of a brand requires total commitment to its differential promise, which must be built around the way in which the customer experience affects even their own behavior.

At present, brands must be very close to the customer if they want to last over time. Companies that know how to identify why customers act and feel in a certain way will achieve a competitive advantage that will help them build long-term relationships. Let's not forget that we all like to be heard.