A previous blog article, What Makes A Winning Package, was about how product packaging influences how the consumer sees and feels about the brand and product. The next important consideration is the type of package.

March 10^th Facebook announced an update to the look of Facebook company  pages. Some businesses have already updated to the new look. It is your option to do it early or wait until Facebook converts everyone’s business pages.

The Admin Panel has updates providing relevant details up front. You can dive deeper into the metrics just as before.

You can’t create a great package if you don’t know how design works. And you can’t create a great package if you don’t know how packaging affects your consumer. There are 3 key responses that need to be won for retail success: visual, rational and emotional.

Visual Response

Being in the ad business I can’t help but watch TV ads with a critical eye. Who is the target? What is the brand? Does it have the emotional tug to convert a sale? In short, is it effective? I try to figure out the company the ad is for before they reveal it. Some companies do a great job advertising and others leave you wondering – do they really know their audience, what company was that for? I have found myself wondering when the product advertised is for women if the ad was created by a man, because they totally missed the USP and audience pain motivator.

Speaking of branding…

A great example is Target’s original TV ad campaign and it’s evolution over 2 years. They began showing the target symbol with their name. The advertising had a consistent style of photography and rhythm. Over a year’s time they evolved and dropped the word “Target”. This was possible because of the consistent style of video but also length of time they ran the ads had impressed their image on all consumers so they intuitively knew the brand before the target symbol was shown at the very end. Eventually, the target symbol was all that was needed. Their success was evident when competitors started mimicking their style of TV ads.

Old school ad men would be horrified that the brand was only shown at the end like an exclamation point. Rules of advertising would have you show the logo frequently in one spot. But rules are fluid and when an ad is done well it is memorable.

Bad ads are memorable for a different reason. Or they don’t make an impression at all. Either way, a bad ad is an expensive mistake. What do you think when you notice a bad ad, print or TV?

According to Nielsen, mobile users spend more time using apps than searching the internet. They spend 86% of their time using apps, not browsers. Do you have an app for your business? Does it make sense?

We all have a vision of what we want our audience to experience and feel about our company and product. Positive feedback is always remembered clearly. But, criticism is hard to hear and we want to get past it as quickly as possible. How did you handle your product’s most recent criticism? Did you approach it as a single unique issue?

How you handle customer complaints and compliments is telling about how important audience impression is to your planning. Business coaches agree you need a positive attitude to successfully navigate the challenges of running a business. This includes having a great opinion of your product or service.

Have you heard copy is king? It is a longstanding concept taught for generations. I heard it at college and my first ad agency job. I have seen many ad agencies perpetuate the concept when the management team comes from sales and copy departments.

A headline is a powerful element. It draws reader in, but not if it is only 12 pt and a light font. Design is the first influencer that determines whether the audience gets captured and drawn into the sales process of the package.