Branding and Packaging: A Love Story
One fateful day, the souls of branding and packaging collided to create…branded packaging! It was love at first sight and ever since then, branding and packaging have been inseparable.
Branded packaging allows businesses to express their personalities through the appearance of their products. Packaging can be a powerful visual medium in which to promote your brand. If done right, you have the opportunity to make a significant impression on current and potential customers.
Here are four genius-packaging innovations with insights about why they have been successful.
1. Dove® Chocolate Promises
In 1991, Dove Chocolate launched a product called Promises: Milk and dark chocolate candies featuring an inspirational message on the inside of each wrapper signed, “Love, Dove.”
A few examples of inspirational messages include:
The fastest way to my heart is chocolate.
Smiling is free.
Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.
Instagram searches for hashtags #dovepromises, #dovechocolate and #dovechocolates yield a combined result of over 56,000 posts, most of which are photos of Dove Promises wrappers. And that, my friends, is the power of maintaining a strong brand via social media.
Why it works: Dove Promises further reiterate the idea that chocolate is comfort food, promoting self-love.
2. Snapple® Real Facts
In the 1990s, Snapple began printing interesting and little-known facts on the underside of each bottle cap.
A few examples of facts include:
Cows do not have upper front teeth.
There are one million ants to every human in the world.
The first country to use postcards was Austria.
Instagram searches for #snapplecap, #snapplefact, #snapplefacts, and #snapplefactz yield a combined result of over 114,000 posts.
Why it works: As consumer of bottled iced tea, you have probably tried a few different brands. Once you become aware that Snapple prints facts under each bottle cap, you begin to associate the facts with the Snapple brand. Next time you are in the gas station buying iced tea and you see a Snapple bottle, you will most likely wonder what the fact under the bottle cap is. This promotes you to choose Snapple over other bottled iced tea brands.
3. Jones® Soda
In 1996, Jones Soda launched six flavors with constantly changing labels, which feature photos submitted by consumers.
An Instagram search for #jonessoda yields over 50,000 results.
Why it works: By featuring consumers’ own photos on its labels, Jones Soda directly connects with its client base, creating an emotional attachment with them.
Source: Pinterest
4. Starbucks’® The Way I See It cups
A few years ago, Starbucks made limited edition papers cups with quotes from notable people printed on them. Starbucks had the right idea by giving customers something to think about while they sip their non-fat one-and-a-half-pump iced caramel macchiatos.
Although there was some controversy surrounding the cups and they were discontinued, Starbucks still prints special edition cups for holidays and seasons.
Why it works: People love the seasonal and holiday cups, and since they have come to expect them, they are excited to see the new editions each year.
We admit that there is an extra expense associated with printing on packaging; however, If you have a business that sells a product in a box, a bag, or any other package, determine if the cost of the printing is worthy in terms of reinforcing the brand experience for your customer. Not branding your packaging would be like having a blank page in a magazine where you should have supplied an ad. The reader of that magazine won’t benefit from knowing your message, product, or service if they look at a blank page. It is the same with packaging; it is your mini billboard so take advantage of it, have fun with it, and be creative!
Dove Chocolate is a registered trademark of Mars, Inc.
Snapple is a registered trademark of Snapple Beverage Corp.
Jones Soda is a registered trademark of Jones Soda Co.
Starbucks is a registered trademark of Starbucks Corp.
