Alan Gilbody

What do you do when your competition are also in the same format?

Structure or format has always been a way to create differentiation, but what happens if logistics or cogs doesn’t allow and you have to follow suit?

Have a look at these interesting solutions where normal silhouettes are challenged with a ‘sticky up bit’ – that’s the technical term!

These additional parts to the established cutter, instantly break symmetry on shelf and catch the eye.

They also create that little bit more branding area to elevate a key message.

A great example to show how it’s possible to both play the rules but also challenge the norm to ensure you win the customer.

#Packaging, #Marketing, #Branding, #Design

Trigger spray packaging is known for it’s really awkward canvas. There’s a lot of important info to try on in an awkward and tiny area.

Many brands look to extend this canvas by using tags or pop over covers on the top of the trigger spray itself.

This example below, however, used a sticker directly onto the top of the tray. Yes, a sticker! This meant that many of the packs on the shelf were crinkled and stuck back on themselves.

For a household fragrance product, looking tatty is the last thing you want to do!

It’s always much better to put the most salient pieces of information on the pack itself as otherwise it may appear less an integral part and more and afterthought.

#Branding, #Design, #Marketing, #Packaging

Here’s something I see a lot in supermarkets with cylindrical packs.

There is little to no chance that the shelf stacker is always going to arrange things facing forwards, therefore it’s advantageous to repeat the branding so that the pack is recognisable from multiple orientations.

If dual facing is not an option, you should look to find ways of extending the brand communication around so that, unlike the example, below the packs are recognisable.

This approach doesn’t often require radical rethink, it’s just about splitting the back of pack into two and arranging it down the sides in the same way as a can of Coke does.

A simple trick but makes the world difference in store and ensures that consumers don’t miss you.

#Packaging, #Marketing, #Branding, #Design

Here’s a great example of ‘consumers decide emotionally then justify logically’.

Cleaning is an arduous task. I don’t think anyone really enjoys it. Successful products in this sector need to be pitched to have a transformational quality and elevate mundane tasks to effortless ease.

Clearly, fluorescent colours and a grinning face are going to retract your attention, but funnily enough it wasn’t that that held my attention on this example

Selling a sponge to a consumer is an incredibly tricky task. A sponge is a sponge isn’t it?

Not if you can create 2 different states, which each have a different benefit as in this example.

Interestingly, they haven’t promised clean dishes or sparkly surfaces at all. The product focuses on its ability to ‘transform’ which subconsciously, in the mind of the consumer cues a magical transformation from problem to solution. Clever.

Catch the consumers attention first, then tell your story. When you need to pull yourself apart from the competition having clear differentiation in a category that has often lacked innovation will always draw a consumers attention.

#Branding, #Design, #Marketing, #Packaging

Cursive type is a fantastic visual shortcut towards vitality and naturalness in branding.

Although this may not always work for every font without a little tweaking.

Have a look at this example which I saw whilst walking down the juice aisle.

At first sight I read it as ‘beef’ which is obviously a bus ride away from what the product is trying to communicate.

With a little crafting and layering on the pack, this could be easily remedied without losing any of the energy and naturalness in the chosen font.

Remember, it’s always worth taking a few steps back to ensure the brand works as well from a distance as it does close up.

#Marketing, #Design, #Branding, #Packaging

What works well on a design visual may not work well in reality.

Stripping thing back can work well in order to focus on a single minded benefit and increase stand out on shelf.

That stripping back and simplification can go a little bit too far though.

Have a look at this example from Strongbow. The can now features the Archer icon as the hero element. However, where and how this has been positioned on the can is not necessarily optimum when it’s sat in the SRP in store.

The logotype has disappeared behind the SRP and the icon is so large that when seen in context of the curved face, it removes much of the immediate recognition and recall.

In fact, the only mention of the brand name is on the SRP but is knocked back so much it’s quite tricky to see from a distance.

Strip things back and simplify by all means, but never so much that it sacrifices recognition.

#Marketing, #Design, #Branding, #Packaging

Getting orientation correct on cylindrical products is incredibly difficult in store.

You’re relying on the shelf stacker to orientate your product the right way in the first place and you are relying on the customer who picks your product up to put it back facing the correct way.

Have a look at this example of St Moriz tanning cream. Now, there are a couple of key issues here, the first as I mentioned above is the orientation of the logo.

As this is not centred on a cylindrical canvas and positioned on the right, it can have the tendency to disappear around the side of the pack, reducing brand recognition completely.

It is much better on these tight cylindrical surfaces to make sure logos are centralised, especially if they are vertical.

The other point which is a smaller and possibly more subtle one is that white seems an odd choice for a brand that promises to make your skin anything but?

What works on a flat design visual does not always work in 3 dimensions.

#Packaging, #Marketing, #Design, #Branding

Are you behaving like a product or like a brand?

The chances are, if you look like everything else that’s out there you’re following the category cues of a product rather than building in differentiation and an engaging consumer story.

Take these three examples situated on a shelf next to one another.

They’re in the same packaging format. They follow the same packaging architecture and they utilise pretty much the same style and content in their photography.

So why would I choose one of the other?

And here’s the big challenge, how would you remember as a consumer which one you bought last time?

Create an emotional connection and win the consumer. Follow the crowd and disappear into the crowd.

#Packaging, #Marketing, #Branding, #Design

If you are a brand with lots to say it’s often a challenge to work out how to fit this on pack.

Lots of brands out there offer a variety of benefits or have a variety of different accolades that they are keen to showcase to potential new consumers.

One of the biggest challenges is then, how do I fit all of that in without it looking like a ‘poundshop window’?

There are two things to bear in mind here, is it better to put everything on or be single minded and focus on one or two of these benefits AND how do you create a robust architecture which permits pride of place without interfering with any of the main communication?

Have a look at this example from Rakusen’s. All of the benefits and accolades are crammed up in the top part of the pack and so tend to saturate the main brand logo and product communication.

In fact, it’s hard to know where to look first.

Imagine taking a step back and looking at this on shelf, from around 2m away it tends to just look like a jumbled mess. This is because you have multiple components, all at the same size annd all competing for attention.

It’s much better to think about creating a foreground, a mid ground and a background in order to control how and when a consumer can access this abundance of information.

Confuse a consumer and they’ll struggle take everything in.

#Marketing, #Packaging, #Design, #Branding

The first questions any consumer would ask is what is it, what does it do and why do I need it?

If those things aren’t clear, the consumer will quickly move onto a brand that they do understand.

Have a look at this example from Curél, it professes to be Japanese skincare, but the overall look and feel is probably more French or Swiss.

This means that it misses out on a great opportunity to introduce something new and innovative to the sector.

It’s also not immediately evident what benefit the product offers and what it’s used for.

Is it for hair? Is it for skin? Or is it for feeding Koi carp in a fish tank?

These are clearly really important things to get across and should be front and centre of every pack.

Your communication should be as clear and unblemished as the skin it treats.

#Packaging, #Marketing, #Branding, #Design