In today’s hectic society, where you’re constantly bombarded with advertisements, new products making astonishing claims, and dishonest sales pitches, it can be hard to differentiate the products that fulfill a need from those that offer little in the way of value.
The aim of this short article is to convince you that, when it comes to catching the customer’s eye, packaging can make all the difference.
Picture the scene. You’ve had a tough week and you’re out and about, on the lookout for something to lift you up from the doldrums. You’re not certain what you want, but you fancy some kind of beauty product. The mall is packed to the rafters and you’re pressed for time. Then, finally, you find the shop you’re looking for. You bound in, and head straight for the aisle selling your kind of thing.
Then, to your dismay, you discover that each and every product has identical packaging. What do you do? Do you spend time examining the small print of each product in turn? No, you’re most likely to either grab the first thing on the shelf or turn around and head for home, having failed in your attempt to raise your spirits
That’s why packaging matters. In such a frantic world, you make many decisions subconsciously and packaging is one of the most influential factors. This is hardly a new concept.
But today I took my inspiration from another branding agency’s motto. MSLK likes “branding beauty with brains”, so I’ve decided to talk about brains a bit.
Research has found that when it comes to decision-making, human brain is divided into three separate areas. These are the reptilian brain, the mammalian brain and the human brain. And guess what? When you buy for yourself, you make the decision using the oldest part of the brain.
Millions of years ago, when we first emerged from the sea, we had a brain similar to that of modern day reptiles. We could scan the environment for danger, feel anger, know when to fight or flee. And what does this have to do with packaging? We scan the shelves for something eye catching automatically, and when we find it, we’re either repulsed or drawn to it.
When you take a closer look at the packaging, you see what it can do for you and feel a desire to buy. This is the emotional brain kicking in, which is common to all mammals. Only then do you read the small print, look at the price, sourcing and the ingredients. This is your human brain, which deals with logic.
Psychology has found that color is important too. For instance, blue is calming, yellow is energizing and red produces feelings of warmth and love. That’s why doctors wear blue or green scrubs during the surgery, for instance.
So you see, there are many factors influencing our buying decisions, but without the right packaging your product won’t even be on the radar.
We’ve had the natural ability to scan our surroundings for something eye-catching for millions of years. In the fast-paced modern world, we use this sense more than ever, as a short cut to making instant buying decisions. And without the right packaging, your product will fall at the first hurdle.
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