Battleup! Part 3
How to win the Battle for Consumer Benefits
Success and market share are gained through packaging. This is our firm and confirmed conviction. In order for packaging to become the most powerful tool in the struggle to win the favour of retailers and consumers, four decisive battles must be won. After having taken a look at the Battle for Brand+Product and PoS in the first two episodes of our series, we are now taking care of the third Battle: Consumer Benefit.
In Battle 3, it is the task of the packaging to confirm the purchase of the product with a strong added value and thus to bind the consumer sustainably. This requires more than “just” graphics. The focus is on a real, new Reason Why or Reason to Believe.
Functional and emotional added value
Packaging can offer two basic consumer benefits: Functional and emotional added value.
Functional added values can be generated, for example, in the convenience sector. In the area of product packaging for FMCG products, this includes aids for easy opening, resealing, dosing or refilling, practical disposability, table-top product presentation, aids for easy preparation and the possibility of “to go” consumption.
Functional added value can also be created in the field of transport and shipping packaging. Simple opening and reclosing for the return as well as an attractive sorting and presentation of the products in the shipping packaging are convincing arguments in times of eCommerce.
In addition to functional added values, there are emotional added values that are often relevant in the context of consumer trends and can unfold great power. This is particularly evident in the area of sustainability.
If, for example, we succeed in designing truly sustainable packaging within the framework of Battle 4 (technological feasibility), we can turn it into emotional added value in Battle 3. True to the motto “Do good and talk about it”. Other possibilities are offered in the areas of individualisation and involvement.
Tools & Strategies
Packaging added value must never be an end in itself, but must always serve the actual needs and wishes of the consumer. The focus of development is therefore on the valid, analytically developed needs of consumers.
However, reliable data and insights can only be obtained if the necessary know-how and the right tools are available and if both are used emphatically. At Creality, we therefore rely on targeted focus group analyses and handling tests.
It is also crucial that the added value is clearly recognised as such. Any “more” in packaging that brings a convenience and image advantage but does not communicate it properly can turn into the opposite and lead to a critical or negative attitude on the part of environmentally and price-conscious consumers.
Global Local Insights
In addition to an analytically determined database, the basis for valid market and consumer insights is above all a real presence on site. It is important to know global trends and regional peculiarities and to transform them into a convincing solution. This is particularly important for brands and products that fight for market success across language and cultural boundaries.
Five years ago, we initiated the global local branding alliance (glba), so that this knowledge does not have to be laboriously collected in fragmented form from various sources. Through our partners in Shanghai, New York, Moscow, Istanbul, Johannesburg and São Paulo, we open up the world on a local basis and can pinpoint consumer wishes in America, Africa, Asia and Europe.
We do not use distanced mafo-institutes to determine the insights, but rather pragmatically and “close to the people” by means of real on-site explorations such as field visits including consumer interviews and store checks.
Make it happen!
In order to make the successes in the first, second and third Battle possible, the technological basis for the packaging must be laid early in the fourth Battle. After all, only what is really feasible with the resources available at the end of the day can put the wheels on the street and dominate the competition. Read more in the next article about Battle 4: Technology.
CASES
Age Suit
The use of tools such as the Creality Senior Simulator is all about practical empathy with a high utility value. The age suit consists of special gloves, arm and foot cuffs, a vest and a helmet with prepared visor. The suit simulates the typical effects of aging on the human senses such as vision and haptic abilities. In this way, the handling of packaging can be experienced even from the “extreme” perspective of an 80-year-old.
Rügenwalder Mühle
An early example of an innovative packaging that provides the product with a unique Reason Why and Reason to Believe are the “sausages in a cup without sausage water”. The cup offers consumers an extremely good convenience for opening, resealing and transporting and creates completely new possibilities for consumption outside the home. The attention-grabbing packaging with the innovative Consumer Benefit created a unique selling proposition that not only became the anchor of the media advertisement, but also ensures high sales, high customer loyalty and strong retail listing.
Dr. Oetker
Another early example of a packaging added value that makes the difference is the Dr. Oetker cake glaze. The cup as a multifunctional “Swiss Army Knife” offers a handy grip for convenient use and turns the pure container into a practical kitchen tool. The handle also serves as a hook for hanging in the pot. A small opening for decorating the cakes and a large opening for pouring the cake over the entire surface optimize it for different application scenarios. Grommets that work in both directions guarantee optimum applicability for both right-handed and left-handed users. The unmistakable shape of the packaging, which is very innovative for the segment, clearly expresses its added value from the very first moment. It stands out and remains in good memory thanks to its excellent convenience.
