Table Of Contentthe visionary package
INTRODUCTION
Also by the same authors:
Branding @ the digital age(eds), Palgrave Macmillan
Also by Herbert Meyers:
The Marketer’s Guide to Successful Package Design
(co-author Murray J. Lubliner, McGraw-Hill)
t h e
v i s i o n a r y
p a c k a g e
u s i n g p a c k a g i n g t o
build effective brands
Herbert Meyers and Richard Gerstman
INTRODUCTION
© Herbert Meyers and Richard Gerstman 2005
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2005 978-1-4039-0677-9
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v
Contents
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About the authors xi
Acknowledgements xiii
Introduction: What is visionary packaging? 1
You need the vision 1
The dilemma of the “Ps” 3
Exploring the package 4
section one
packaging – from horsebacks to hypermarkets 5
1 The ubiquitous package 6
A starring role 6
What’s in a name? 7
2 The evolution of packaging 8
Once upon a time… 8
Ancient trailblazers 8
The changing role of packaging 9
The first visionary package 11
Exploiting the vision 12
Glassmaking goes commercial 13
And then came paper 13
Papermaking gains ground 14
The resolute metals 15
Napoleon’s contribution 15
From glass to metal 16
Canning matures 17
A new boy on the block: Aluminum 17
The plastics revolution 18
Another war-time baby is born 19
From peddling to merchandising 20
Packaging misused: A cure for every ill 21
Gaining confidence in packaging 22
Visionary packaging comes to America 23
3 The commercial power of packaging 25
From soup to art 26
Pass the ketchup 27
Green and white = no headaches 29
vi INTRODUCTION
s “Persil bleibt Persil” 31
t
n A changing world 32
e As lifestyles change 33
t
n Mobility and affluence affect how we live 34
o
The meteoric rise of private labels 35
c
Making a point of difference 36
Building consumer equity 36
section two
the consumer mindset 39
4 Package design and the consumer 40
The silent mind bender 41
It’s really quite amazing 41
Forming a personality 42
The image-creating package 43
The functional package 45
The communicative package 45
The sensuous package 48
The package colors 49
The central role of package design in a changing market 51
You can rationalize anything 52
5 Consumer attitudes and concerns 53
Health and nutritional issues 54
And then there is the 50+ population 55
Recognizing elderly consumers as an opportunity 56
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander 57
A few improvements 58
And what about the environment? 58
The third dimension 60
6 A broader view 61
Opportunities galore 62
Will future packaging be able to meet all these contradictory targets? 63
Good intentions – but is it reality? 63
Where the rubber meets the road 65
The other side of the coin 65
Rational shopping 66
Visionary packaging – the challenge 67
7 Emotional purchasing 68
The silent salesman and emotional purchasing 68
High-quality emotion 71
Changing emotions 71
The fun part 72
The male emotion 72
8 The lifestyle influence 76
How do we design for today’s lifestyles? 77
Lightening the load 78
vii
Keeping it simple 79 s
t
Simplicity in shopping 80 n
Where do we put it? 81 e
t
Changes in the store 81 n
o
The visionary commodity 82
c
The visionary snack 83
The visionary tea bottle 84
The visionary wine 85
The visionary bakery 87
Lifestyles aren’t always global 88
A vision of authenticity 89
The convenience factor 91
The convenient pour 92
What makes your life easier? 93
section three
connecting the package with the consumer 95
9 Shaping up 96
Needs improvement 96
The visionary pantyhose 97
Hold your breath 98
The visionary mouthwash 99
The visionary ketchup shape 101
The visionary tuna package 102
The visionary paint 103
Visionary vending 105
Adding a handle 106
Quality counts 108
10 The package in the retail store 109
The big change 110
Why does private label work? 111
Where in the world is private label? 113
The destination brand 113
The private label cookie-cutter 115
The premium folly 118
The cereal 118
It can’t look better than it tastes 120
Give them what they need 120
The efficiency expert 121
The visionary shipping cases 122
Helping the shopper 123
Visionary sophistication 125
The shopping experience 126
So what’s in store? 127
11 Wal-Mart and everyone else 129
The packaging clout 129
The image game 130
viii INTRODUCTION
s You can rely on it 131
t
n Efficiency is key 132
e A case for cases 133
t
n Moving pallets 134
o
The price/value relationship 134
c
More than a design element 135
12 Packaging as a promotional tool 136
Absolut, a very visionary package 137
The package as an actor 139
Hi-tech placement 141
Promoting with special effects 141
The follow-through 142
Customized packaging 142
Mass customization 143
Use your senses 144
The package is the product 145
The visionary brewery 145
The multi-sensory experience 147
13 The package on the road 148
From point A to point B 150
The all-around business 151
Sorting it all out 153
section four
trends in visionary packaging 155
14 Brand packaging 156
The emphasis on branding 156
A cruel beginning 158
A key marketing tool 158
Branding the package 159
Enter the package designer 159
Packaging = Branding 160
But not everyone was listening 160
Undervalued and unappreciated 161
15 The obvious is not always obvious 162
A stalemate in communication 163
The designer’s side of the issue 164
No organizational support 165
The new name 166
What’s in a name? 166
16 The designer as a business partner 167
Being a business partner 167
Needed: a more holistic approach 168
An almost missed opportunity 169
Persistence pays off 170
Taking the initiative 171
ix
Becoming a proactive, visionary partner 171 s
t
But – it takes two to tango 172 n
Matrix management 173 e
t
The designer at the strategy table 173 n
o
17 Packaging politics 175 c
The political change 175
Political collaboration 176
Digital politics 177
18 Virtual package management 179
The three systems 180
Offshooting the catalog 180
Approvals up the line 182
Extra offerings 183
Offshooting the printer 183
The offshoot of the brand consultant 184
So how do you benefit from the system? 185
Will this make the in-house designer extinct? 186
Can you virtually manage advertising? 187
Remaining focused 187
How can you get out of it? 187
19 All you need to know 189
The categories blur 189
Freedom of speech 190
Warning! Dangerous! 191
section five
the future of visionary packaging 193
20 Package opportunities and challenges 194
The food opportunity 194
Research brings opportunities 195
The fresh meat opportunity 197
The natural instinct 198
The challenges you face 198
The merger mania 199
How many brands do we need? 199
It’s new! It’s different! 201
Thwarting thieves 202
Do older people use more packaging? 203
The drug challenge 203
Don’t imitate 204
The consultant opportunity 206
21 What’s ahead? 207
Let the imagination soar 208
The social issues of global marketing 208
Global environmental concerns 210
Dealing with conflicting global demands 211
