Tag Archives: packaging

by | Wednesday, December 4, 2024 · 6:24 pm

Let’s Call It ‘Chaos Packaging’

Where does packaging fit in the marketing mix? Is it just a necessity to keep products from being damaged? Or does it impact the sales of a product?

It’s actually both, and a lot more. But for right now, consider how packaging can help differentiate products and gain consumers’ attention. Think about it. How does olive oil come packaged? Liquor? Sun screen? What about potato chips? They all seem similar due to common undifferentiated packaging.

All of these have a predetermined sort of package that consumers are used to seeing (and buying) on store shelves. But the ubiquitous packaging has the effect of making all the products look alike in the store. What would happen if we mixed it up and got creative with packages, bottles, and boxes?

Enter ‘chaos packaging’. Chaos packaging innovates to take a standard consumer product and put it into some sort of unique container that causes dissonance. In other words, it helps break through the clutter and noise.

Some recent examples of chaos packaging include:

  • Sunscreen in whipped-cream cans.
  • Gin in motor oil cans.
  • Tampons in ice-cream tubs.
  • Perfume in window cleaner-type spray bottles.
  • Olive oil in squeeze bottles.
  • Water in beer-style cans.
  • Coffee beans in VHS tape packages.

Consider that some product categories have only about a 3-second dwell time – meaning that consumers look at packages for 3-seconds before deciding what they need, grabbing it, and buying. Extending that precious look-time, or keeping the look longer, can make the difference between a product languishing on a shelf, or making it into a consumer’s shopping cart.

Take a look!

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Poll students: What products have unique packages? Does it matter?
  2. Discuss the importance and purpose of packaging in marketing products.
  3. Where does packaging fit in the marketing mix?
  4. Show video about chaos packaging: https://youtu.be/w9Sk16c2uXQ?si=UB9Qm9FV4A3q6-ui
  5. Divide students into teams. Have each team choose a product that comes in a standard type of package.
  6. Now, have the teams redesign the package to gain more awareness and attention.

Source: Alt, C. (27 October 2024). Tampons in an ice cream tub? Inside the ‘chaos packaging’ trend. The Times (London); Deighton, K. (21 October 2024). Ice-cream tubs of tampons and sunscreen from a whipped-cream can: Welcome to ‘chaos packaging’. Wall Street Journal.

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by | Saturday, September 7, 2024 · 4:39 pm

Luxury Fruit Comes at a High Price

Don’t you love pineapple in the summer? It’s juicy, fresh, delicious, and fairly inexpensive. That is, it’s inexpensive if you buy it at your local grocery store where it’s only a few dollars. Sounds reasonable.

However, you could also buy a luxury pineapple, packaged in an ornate box that unfurls like an origami box and with holes so that the fruit can breathe. The cost of that pineapple is a whopping $396. And that’s if you can find one. The Rubyglow pineapple sold out in the U.S. in only a few weeks after it became available.

While Americans might not be familiar with the idea of luxury fruit, it has a long history in parts of Asia where high-end fruit is often given as gifts. Consumers are willing to pay more for produce that is truly special. And, it’s not just pineapples that have been grown for luxury buyers.

For example, the Crown Melon is grown in Japan and costs $156; it is the single fruit grown on its vine to make it extra sweet. And let’s not forget about luxury strawberries sold in a variety of red, pink, and white berries in boxes. A typical box may contain 30 strawberries, picked when perfectly ripe, with each berry wrapped individually for protection, and costs about $128. And let’s not leave out the Pink Elephant mango from Vietnam. One fruit can weigh up to two pounds at a price of $25 – $95. Unique and delicious.

Shall we eat?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Pricing is a complex topic. Discuss the six steps for pricing (determining objectives, estimating demand, determining cost/profit relationships, select price level, set list price, and make adjustments).
  2. Poll students: How much do they usually spend on fruit?
  3. Show the Rubyglow pineapple order page: https://freshdelmonte.com/rubyglow/
  4. Show video: https://youtu.be/ve8-ddIVVek?si=mIh8aVG2IPAcU8CA
  5. Ikigai luxury fruits: https://ikigaifruits.com/
  6. Discuss the various pricing models in class: demand-oriented, cost-oriented, profit-oriented, and competition-oriented.
  7. For luxury fruit products, divide students into groups and have each group work on any/all of the six steps.
  8. When setting the price level, assign each team a different model to use (demand-oriented, cost- oriented, etc.).
  9. Debrief the exercise. Compare the various pricing models and discuss advantages/disadvantages of each.

Source: Albeck-Ripka, L. (29 June 2024). The world of luxury fruit: Does a $156 melon taste sweeter? New York Times; Wiener-Bronner, D. (19 May 2024). $400 for one pineapple: The rise of luxury fruit. CNN.

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by | Saturday, March 30, 2024 · 12:14 am

How Important is Packaging?

There are many different factors that can influence consumers’ product selection. One of the most important is the way a product is packaged and labeled – the way a product is packaged/labeled immediately provides information to the buyer. Some packaging is very complex and busy, while others may be simpler in nature. A recent study conducted by Texas Christian University examined the trend towards minimalist packaging and how design influences consumer perceptions about products at grocery stores.

The results of the study showed that minimalistic packaging (fewer colors, word, and neutral boxes) leads consumers to believe that those products contain fewer ingredients, and thus are more pure. However, the reverse is true when considering generic or store brands. For those products, consumers seem to prefer bold shapes and fancy text, perhaps to convince them that the product is valuable.

 Some of the necessary ingredients to successful labeling and packaging design are:

  • Category or product type
  • Brand
  • Variant
  • Functional benefits
  • Reasons-to-believe
  • Emotional promise or benefit
  • Call-to-action
  • Content details (such as size, weight, etc.)

In addition, the packaging must protect the product and be easy to handle, transport, and store. If any of these factors are lacking, consumers may choose to buy an alternative product.

Remember, the main goal of packaging is to make the product visible to consumers, communicate the brand and benefits, and persuade the consumer to buy it.

What package is most effective?  

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Instructors: Bring several packaged items to class for students to examine.
  2. Have students look in their bags and backpacks and pull out any item that is in a package/wrapper.
  3. What are their impressions of the package? How does it influence the purchase?
  4. Show video about tips for packaging design: https://youtu.be/qenDKgHL3aA?si=c6tu53SKLywX27Iy
  5. Show blog article about best product packaging examples: https://filestage.io/blog/product-packaging/
  6. Have students work in teams and go to a local grocery/convenience store. Have then identify several products in the same category (ex: soups, juices) and examine how the packages attract consumers.
  7. What changes could be made?
  8. In teams, have students select a common product and design new packaging for it.
  9. What are key considerations for the packaging?
  10. To access the original research study done by Texas Christian University: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00222429231192049
  11. Consider assigning a project to replicate the study and examine findings.

Source:  Mitchell, H. (26 January 2024). When consumers prefer simple packaging – and when they don’t. Wall Street Journal.

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