My two cents on Marketing

Will a product still be the same without its packaging? Packaging design represents what the brand stands for and also speaks for the quality of the product often times. It does not only have the function of protecting the product, explaining its attributes and benefits, but also has a role in appealing to consumers.  To successfully appeal to consumer, a package needs to differentiate a product from its competitor and ultimately become a part of the product experience.

I was doing my grocery shopping in TNT the last weekend and I observed some difference in how products from Asia are packaged as compared to the west.  The color, label and typeface, images, patterns and shapes even materials are influence by the culture. These are important to consider when it comes to designing a package. Below are a few of my observation and thoughts:

• First, the color difference. There are more bright and flashy colors in the chips aisle. They look more appealing because colors such as red and yellow symbolized happiness and good luck in Chinese culture.
• The labeling are mostly in languages such as Chinese, Korean and Japanese although some of the product sold are available here in English.
• Some of the products have smaller sizes compared to the same product available in other western supermarket.

Packaging has an incredible power over that people buy. Thus it is challenging to build consistency for people to interpret the global brand identity. For global brands, some sort of standardization and certain level of customization are needed to attract attention from customers in order to be successful.