Despite the literal meaning of the term packaging is box, the commercial meaning of the term has taken on nuances that go far beyond the simple mechanical packaging of a product.
A time ago, when packing a good, the only things to which it was necessary to pay attention were the comfort and functionality of the packaging, but today it is no longer conceivable to limit oneself to obtaining resistant bags or an anonymous cardboard: behind the choice of packaging there must be a careful marketing strategy and an in- depth study.
With the progress of studies on communication, packaging has become synonymous with functionality, communication, aesthetics, one of the hallmarks of a brand.
Since the concept of food as mere sustenance has begun to evolve towards that of added value, the aesthetics of the package has begun to acquire ever greater importance: in marketing strategies , packaging plays a primary role.
On the market we see appearing, even for small businesses such as jewelers, small boutiques, local wine cellars or craft breweries, which need an increasing number of promotional boxes with logo.
The brand
Going more specifically, it is only right to first look at what is meant by the term brand, and therefore at what brand packaging is.
In the collective imagination the brand or brand is often confused with the name of a company or a product, or with its logo: in reality the brand is all that set of characteristics that distinguish and identify a product or service.
The brand therefore includes the name, the characteristic motto or slogan, the logo, the color palette, but also more intangible elements such as the history and values of a specific brand.
In its complexity, it represents perhaps the longest-lived primary resource of an asset (which can also be a service); even for famous people we talk about brands, and it is taken care of in every detail (think of influencers or even political parties).
In short: the brand is precisely the trademark that distinguishes us, which brings customers towards us rather than towards our competitors.
A final clarification must also be made on the difference between brand and trademark: while the first, as we have seen, is an ineffable and intangible set of concepts and representations, the second is that sign that distinguishes a brand and can be registered and legally protected.
The importance of packaging
Given the above premises, it is easy to understand that the packaging of a product is one of those peculiar characteristics and those market strategies that are fully part of the brand with a fundamental role.
It is therefore essential to try to attract and retain the customer, also through an attractive and recognizable packaging strategy. To understand how good packaging can enter the mind, just think of the
Starbucks takeaway coffee cup or Pringles potato chips containers.
This explains why every company invests more and more in branded packaging .
Packaging features and functions: what to keep in mind
But what characteristics must a package have that works and increases sales ? Let's see it together.
· Attract
In every sector it is essential to attract the customer.
We think we are walking into a store and want to buy a product.
Almost certainly the decisive factor will not be the quality, but the seduction of the tailoring: in short, the rule that the dress makes the monk applies.
The consumer is in fact much less rational than we think, instead he tends to buy instinctively, based on the sensation he receives when looking at the products.
· Inform
The same law on trade establishes that there is information that must be shown on the packaging.
In today's society, however, the growing attention of a good slice of consumers not only to the quality and composition of the product, but also to the sustainability and safety of the production process, have led companies to transform the packaging into a real leaflet. of the product, which conveys information and advertising together.
Trying to find a way to combine the information function and the attractiveness is therefore one of the first steps to take in designing a good personalised box, making it attractive and useful.
When choosing graphics, it is often recommended to move towards a certain range of colors, precisely to emotionally influence the potential buyer.
Traditionally, for example, warm colors are preferred in food.
Matching colors like red, yellow or orange to your logo seems to stimulate your appetite; green is generally associated with organic products; black or gold to excellence and top of the range products.
· Consistency with the corporate image and graphics
A good personalised gift box must obviously lead back to the company at first glance through a consistent choice of colors and style and, of course, the presence of the logo.
target audience must also be taken into account, adapting the graphics and the material to a style that will be of one type for consumer products and another, more elegant, for niche products.
· Simplicity and Sustainability
Even in packaging, the rule of less is more generally applies: a redundant packaging of symbols and text conveys a chaotic and cheap air.
The simplicity of a complete but balanced whole is almost always the right choice.
This simplicity must also be taken into account in the form, since it implies an easy use. A sustainable approach is always an extra value for a product and a company, therefore it is preferable to abandon plastic containers and instead move towards those in paper or cardboard. , always paying attention to the protective functionality of the box.
The personalized box as an advertising vehicle
Finally, we come to the advertising factor.
Good packaging is what not only attracts the customer and makes the product immediately attributable to a certain company rather than another, but also what acts as an advertising tool.
Our product will be carried around, perhaps unwrapped and consumed in a park or at home with friends, or at a fair: this is the case, for example, of a hamburger shop or delivery.
In the market full of alternatives that globalization offers, broadening one's horizons and focusing attention on customers is always a wise move, and personalized boxes with your logo can be an original and winning choice even in gift giving.
For meetings, fairs or holidays, corporate gifts, promotional products or branded merchandise are useful and welcome gifts.
Donating chocolates or a bracelet packed in a branded box will make it difficult not to remember our company.
What's more: a personalised box for free is not the perfect gift to be given only by those who have a company in the same sector, but will be appreciated (together with its content) by anyone, even if it is a metal company that makes it.
At a fair, for example, the package will be carried around and opened often, perhaps to offer its contents, thus advertising our company in a much more penetrating way than a simple flyer, which would probably end up in waste paper shortly after being been taken.
From this point of view, the corporate gift acquires considerable importance and there is a growing search for originality in its choice.
No less important than its advertising function is the feeling of customer care (or potential such), which a personalized corporate gift can convey: with the growing offer on the market, in fact, it can stand out as at the forefront of customer care it can be precisely that detail that makes our company a winner over another.
