How Does Our Packaging Make You Feel?

Written by Ted Mininni, President and Creative Director at Design Force, Inc.

Successful packaging for consumer product and licensed brands not only fosters attention and an emotional buy response out of the gate but satisfies consumers’ unconscious need to identify who they are by the brands they choose and to get “emotional validation” from them after they make a purchase. Powerful packaging leads to consumer adoption of the brand as a means of self-expression. Just how important is consumer emotion before and after purchase?

According to a scholarly article published in the Journal of Applied Packaging Research: “A history of marketing reflects the directive that ‘emotion leads to action’. Indeed, studies have shown that 95% of thinking is unconsciously realized where consumers make purchasing decisions based on emotion rather than rational thought. In addition to being emotionally driven, research has found that decision making occurs in brief phasic events, approximately 2.5 seconds in length”.¹

2.5 seconds doesn’t give marketers much time to make their case to consumers. It’s a challenge but it’s also a great opportunity. Packaging is visual and it makes the brand tangible. Consumers have a visceral reaction to it and they will reach out and touch it if we make it compelling. If we leverage the unique assets of the brand in a riveting, emotive manner, the consumer will hone in on it to the exclusion of everything else on the shelf.
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Packaging's Role In Reducing Environmental Impact

Written by Thierry Gihan, Global Marketing Director of Tetra Recart.

Sustainable packaging design no longer “a nice-to-have”
The environmental impact and sustainability credentials of food and drink packaging are now firmly at the front of consumers’ minds. This interest has progressed from a focus on the end-of-life of a package – over 80% of consumers are now actively recycling waste – to an increasing appreciation of the beginning-of-life, with food manufactures associating ethically sourced products with good quality. Furthermore, two thirds of consumers say that they have bought environmental products, even when they cost more.

This means that sustainable practice is no longer a nice-to-have, but an essential part of doing business in the packaging industry. In response, the industry has been focusing its attention on innovating across three key areas – design, materials and production – which all lead to significant reductions in environmental footprint.
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Using a Pearl Coatings to Enhance Design

Written by Michael DiFranco, VP of Marketing at JohnsByrne

A strand of pearls signals luxury, class, and taste. Take a cue from the fashion industry in your packaging design with a pearlescent coating to give your packaging, mailer, or other printed material the appeal associated with luxury and exclusivity. Pearl coatings mimic the reflective qualities of pearls, with fine refractive grains lending the project a subtle shimmer or sparkle, more refined than a glitter effect.
Pearl coatings are often associated with health and beauty products, but the reality is these coatings can add class and exclusivity to the appearance of packaging materials for a variety of industries, including those related to seasonal décor, specialty foods like chocolate, car industry collateral, sporting goods, and countless other products and activities.

Pearlescent Coating: Achieving Different Looks
Pearl coating is one of many on-press effects that can be applied in different ways to achieve a wider gamut of looks and degrees of intensity. Depending on its application, the final look can be completely different. Here are different ways to apply pearlescent coatings that produce unique effects on print and packaging.

Overall vs Spot:
Depending on the artwork, copy, and branding, there is the the option of laying pearl coating down ‘overall’ on a sheet giving a uniform ‘overall’ shimmer effect and creates a luminescent backdrop for the branding and specific design elements. A ‘spot coat,’ on the other hand, lays down the coating in very specific areas while leaving other areas without pearl for dramatic contrast. This is an ideal way to bring attention to specific elements of the print or packaging design. These two options give two very different looks depending on the desired reaction.

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Tetra Pak discovers the gold in the golden years

Tetra Pak invited Packaging of the World to their headquarters site in Denton, Texas. 

Where is the gold you may ask, and how we as packaging designers or manufacturers can go for the gold? Stay tuned for more deets.

With a market presence in more than 170 countries, Tetra Pak is the world leader in liquid food processing and packaging solutions. As an industry leader, Tetra Pak frequently conducts research studies and extends media invitation to all around the world to attend product launches and whitepaper reports. This autumn, we are honored to be invited by Tetra Pak again, to their headquarters in Denton, USA for the exclusive launch of the latest edition of Tetra Pak's consumer generation whitepaper series focusing on seniors.

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Leverage Customized Packaging To Strengthen Your Brand Equity

Written by Marina Iermolaieva, she is a marketing assistant for All in packaging creative packaging.

Leverage Customized Packaging To Strengthen Your Brand Equity – Here’s How
Customized packaging is all about ensuring that the product package represents all the values that the brand and product stand for, in a manner that is convenient for customers to purchase, carry and use. Customized product packaging is a critical element for marketing because a package draws attention to the product and brand in a fundamental way. There are many ways in which customized packaging can help to strengthen your product’s brand equity. Let us look at a few.
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