We think product packaging design is a CRUCIAL element in any product’s marketing plan. Why? Well, these days retail outlets are often forced to overload their store shelves with a plethora of products, each competing to grab the attention of the unsuspecting consumer walking down the aisle. The choices are overwhelming, and research has shown that consumers (often subconsciously) gravitate toward the products that have high brand awareness (comfort) and superior product packaging design (appeal).

The problem with trying to build high brand awareness is that in an overcommunicated society, this can take lots and lots of time and particularly money–something that many relatively new products don’t have. So what does a marketing department do to jumpstart consumer sales? We recommend placing a good deal of emphasis on the design of the product packaging to make sure the product affects consumer behavior as they attempt to decide on a purchase.

As I speak to this, I wanted to pass along a NY Times article I read a couple of days ago about an inspiring case study in the power of product packaging design. It’s about a shaving cream that’s about to hit the market called NXT (pronounced “next”). This product is going to hit the market and compete with the likes of Gillette and Barbasol without spending a single dollar on advertising to the public.

The makers of the product are doing so by saving tons of money by only investing in product packaging. Their aim is to create a product that truly stands out on the store shelves, and they’re using LED lights implanted in the actual package to do so. These LED lights actually light up the clear bottle that the shaving cream resides in, creating a spectacular light show on the shelves. HERE is the article. Enjoy!

Note also how they have adjusted the copy on the package to refer to “sensitive” skin as “lite.” Something a bit less wimpy!

Thanks for reading!

Garret Ohm
www.orange-element.com

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 5th, 2008 at 7:44 pm and is filed under Blog Posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.