With the ever increasing local population, there is a simultaneous increase in the demand-supply graph. Publics, with the evolution of technology and digital media are appropriately informed and thus are pretty aware of what they want, the quantity the want and how they want it. Also, with so many products and services it choose from when it comes to the supply chain, it is but obvious that all brands are not equally preferred by a consumer and he opt for a brand after an almost stringent analysis of a number of factors associated with it; amongst various other factors one of them is the packaging.
Before treading the path of how important packaging is and its necessity in today’s marketplace, let us refresh ourselves on certain trivia of what packaging is and how it has evolved –
Packaging and its evolution
Marketing and branding experts are well acquainted with the “P’s of marketing,” which might differ, depending on the source consulted, and can be as few as four P’s like the ones mentioned by Philip Kotler in his marketing mix theory [product, price, place (distribution) and promotion] or as many as eight “P” words like product, place, price, promotion, people, physical environment, process and packaging.
Herein amongst other if Products/ services are the thing being sold my brands and people are the TG it is being sold to; then Packaging is the material/s in which your product is delivered to your customers. As per Wikipedia, packaging is defined as “the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of designing, evaluating, and producing packages. Packaging can be described as a coordinated system of preparing goods for transport, warehousing, logistics, sale, and end use. In many countries it is fully integrated into government, business, institutional, industrial and personal use. ”
Many authors define the term ‘Packaging” in the following manner:
William J. Stanton: “Packaging may be defined as the general group of activities in product planning which involves designing and producing the container or wrapper for a product.”
Vernon L. Fladager in his article “Packaging as a Marketing Tool” explains its importance in the following lines: “Under the modern marketing concept, in which all aspects of a business are correlated from a market point of view to enhance their ability to win profitable customers, packaging decisions almost always have complex ramifications. Any such decision may simultaneously affect production, distribution, research and development, sales, advertising, public relations, personnel, accounting and finance.”
Mason and Rath: “Packaging is the use of containers and wrapping material plus decoration and labelling to protect the product to help and promote its role and to make it convenient for the consumer to use the product.”
Though packaging is considered to be an integral part of today’s operation and marketing professionals’ brand building exercise, the trivia on history and evolution of packaging is quite interesting. From the ancient times, once human civilisations evolved, Consumption also evolved and along with that evolved the ancient man feeling of the need to storing food and other valuable goods for future consumption. Thus, knowledge and technology of food packaging emerged in its primitive form. The earliest recorded use of paper for packaging dates back to 1035, when a Persian traveller visiting markets in Cairo, Arab Egypt, noted that vegetables, spices and hardware were wrapped in paper for the customers after they were sold. Then, in those times, humans who were using the non-consumable vegetal leaves to cover the goods/food and the as time progressed, he gathered experience regarding the flaws of such protection, the concept was innovated with the formation of a container made from plant leaves using tiny needles of a tree stem. With the progress of civilisation, the concept of protecting food & products was developed more and more in response to increasing needs. Set-up boxes were first used in the 16th century and modern folding cartons date back to 1839. The first corrugated box was produced commercially in 1817 in England.
In 18th century the use of tinplate for packaging was discovered. The manufacturing of tinplate was the monopoly of Bohemia for a long time; in 1667 Andrew Yarranton, an English engineer, and Ambrose Crowley brought the method to England where it was improved by ironmasters including Philip Foley. With the discovery of the significance of airtight containers for food preservation by French inventor Nicholas Appert, the tin canning process was patented by British merchant Peter Durand in 1810.
Cutting forward to 20th century, packaging advancements in the early 20th century included Bakelite closures on bottles, transparent cellophane overwraps and panels on cartons. What exactly plastic was, was not known until 1920 when Hermann Staudinger's revolutionary idea was heard. Plastic packaging had begun to be used widely after 1950s. Towards the end of 1970s plastic packaging sector has begun to grow. Research and studies show that as of 2003, the packaging sector accounted for about 2% of the gross national product in developed countries. About half of this market was related to food packaging. In 2019 the global food packaging market size was estimated at USD 303.26 billion.
Types of Packaging
Packaging may be of numerous variants. For instance, a transport package or distribution package may be the shipping container used to ship, store, and handle the product or inner packages. Some identify a consumer package as one which ‘is directed toward a consumer or household.’ Packaging may also be described in relation to the type of product being packaged - medical device packaging, over-the-counter drug packaging, retail food packaging, military materiel packaging, pharmaceutical packaging, etc.
Sometimes it may be categorized by layer or function as well; commonly primary, secondary and tertiary.-
Packaging can also have categories based on the package form. For example, thermoform packaging and flexible packaging define broad usage extents.
Importance of packaging
Till date for many customers don’t pay any attention whatsoever to a package and rip it open without giving it a second conscious thought. The same thought process is followed by many a brand as well for whom in a marketing mix packaging is the least of their concern. However, established brands know the importance of packaging and thus work towards strengthening it in their marketing mix.
The importance of packaging can be seen broadly under its functionality –
Packaging can also be used by the branding and marketing professional as a part of the marketing mix as well since –
By this time you must have noticed the diversity and importance packaging has on today’s brands and market place.
So if you do need any help with your packaging, Contact info@onfleek.agency today and get a free consultation along with a better brand packaging!
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