Neworld, Great relationships build great brands

Packaging is often the most critical marketing touchpoint for your brand. Obviously, this is especially true in the food and drinks sector. Not only does it serve a function, but it also forms an integral part of the consumer’s experience. They view it on shelf, they touch it, hold it, and hopefully, they put it in their trolley or basket and take it home with them. So this valuable physical piece of branding needs to align with your brand’s values and should tell your own unique brand story.

However far too often brands tend to only focus on the front facing of the packaging, giving less consideration to the sides and back. This can be a real lost opportunity.

Now more than ever shoppers are searching for information. They want to know more about what they are consuming. Consumers are paying more attention to nutritional information, ingredients and checking where products come from but they are also looking for inspiration and want to connect more with the brands they are choosing.

We are all aware that certain mandatory information needs to be present on packaging and it must meet legal regulations and of course it should be easy to read and navigate. But with consumers eyes now more focused on product information brands should be making the overall pack experience much more captivating.

The sides and back of packs allow a brand to reach out to its consumers, to have a conversation with them, to tell them more. Brands form an unspoken emotional connection with their consumers through their packaging and it is the ideal place to bring more of your brand’s personality to life. This can be captured through clever copy-writing and messaging, visual styling and overall creative crafting of the packaging layout.

There are many examples of brands who are turning their packaging from a single facing functional item to intriguing works of art, which can amuse, engage—and even be thought-provoking. So it is worth sometimes not just thinking outside the box but also behind the box!

MARIE MCGRATH, ACCOUNT MANAGER – BRAND & PACKAGING

Marie has many years’ design and consultancy experience to the team, gained from working alongside many of Ireland’s highly regarded brand heavyweights. She has extensive experience in branding, design and project management and injects a high level of creative and strategic thinking across all projects. Marie is constantly on the look out for new opportunities to enrich the brand experience and build your brand’s strength in the market. The primary communication conduit, she manages the entire process from concept to finishing, ensuring that the project delivers at every stage.