Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Paul Simonet, European Strategic Director, Anthem
Owned media (such as websites or blogs) has the advantage over earned media (such as advertising) because the brand can control the message and the fact that it costs less. But owned media requires you to drive visitors to you, which can be time-consuming, difficult and, potentially, as expensive as advertising. However, there is a marketing channel that many brands have overlooked for a long time – that of their own packaging. With packaging, the owned media is in close proximity with the customer. It’s not remote, or restricted by time. You’re removing any intermediary between the consumer and the brand. And the financial case is compelling. The average cost per advertising click is $1.50 whereas a ‘click’ on a pack is free – it’s difficult to argue with that.
Businesses like Nestlé are incorporating marketing communication into packs, using high tech packaging to deliver entertainment, information and content directly into the hands of the consumer via QR codes on pack. They have recognised that there are many things that can be communicated through the packaging – beyond the ingredients and sell-by date.
Packaging is extremely targeted marketing. The customer has already bought the product or is in the store aisle about to buy something like it. Most consumables are never decanted so the packaging it’s bought in becomes part of the consumer’s ongoing engagement with the product and the brand – marketing communication that keeps on communicating over the duration of the product’s use.
Some packaging design is limited to the basics when, in fact, the following 12 elements of communication should be considered in any packaging design:
- Instructions – how to use the product and get the best out of it
- Product Story – where the product came from and how it was made
- Brand CSR – how the parent brand is giving back to the community
- Ingredients – what’s in the product, including any allergy information
- Usage Ideas – recipes and new ways to use the product
- Brand Storytelling – what are the messages behind the brand that they want to share
- Branding Engagement – ways the brand is gathering input from the consumer
- User Community Social – how social media is being used by consumers in relation to the brand
- Personalisation – options to customise according to preference or location
- Co-Creation ‘Makers’ – information about how the product is being used by the public in new ways
- Beyond Brand – campaigns that reach further to support international programmes
- Re-purchase / re-order – ways to encourage and simplify the act of purchasing your product
The next big channel will be the pack. It’s becoming clear that TV advertising, which used to lead the way in consumer communication, is becoming less popular as more people find ways to avoid the ads and access entertainment through non-TV media. No wonder, as demand declines, the cost of TV advertising is also reducing – it’s now 30% cheaper than it was 10 years ago.
The most important marketing ‘thing’ about the brand in the IoT will be its ‘pack’ and the interaction between the pack and the consumer will become more two-way – connected – with both the consumer and the brand involved. It’s not that far away. Gatorade has developed a disposable sweat patch – ‘a band aid with electronics’ – that tracks sodium loss on the user’s forearm and a light flashes on the cap telling the user when it’s time to drink. Soon consumers will expect packs to be smart and useful and won’t want them if they are not. The more the packaging ‘does’ the more consumers will talk about it. And ‘did you see that ad?’ will soon turn into ‘did you try that pack?
Any brand marketer needs to ask themselves if their packaging offers an experience at every stage of engagement with the consumer. Have they looked at the user experience before, during, after and always? Packaging can add branded value at any point. Think carefully, your biggest marketing advantage may already be in your consumer’s hand.
(Paul Simonet, European Strategic Director, Anthem Worldwide)
