Magazine: Value, product protection, communication

Philip Bittermann, editor-in-chief of German trade magazine Neue Verpackung, drew the conclusion after the first German packaging summit – which was held in Munich – that the influence of product packaging is expanding to new areas of grocery retail. According to Florian Constabel, creative director of Finnish company Nordic Wipak, in this day and age product packaging connects the store shelf with digital media and services. It doesn’t simply protect the product, it also influences the buying decisions made by customers. Thanks to digital technology, product packaging can be personalised, to make shoppers feel ‘this was made for me!’ A good example of this is Coca-Cola bottles with names on them instead of the brand name.

Roland Rex, former president of German trade organisation Pro Carton pointed out that a product’s packaging isn’t only three-dimensional from a physical perspective, but also from a marketing aspect: 1. it should create value and support sales; 2. it needs to protect the product, the customer and the environment; 3. it shall make communication possible. Right now the latter seems to be the most important function that needs to be considered when creating new designs.

Mr Rex stressed that communication is now a dimension of the future of packaging. Today most packaging designs don’t communicate an important brand message yet – many consumers simply throw it away after use. They do this in spite of the fact that packaging has important functions, irrespective of the material it is made of. These functions give the packaging its value. A recent survey has found that packaging can make an impact at two places: in the trading area of shops and in the buyer’s home, e.g. on average a breakfast cereal box realises 80 contacts in a shopper’s home and 5 in-store.