Packaging Strategy in Integrated Marketing Communication (1)

Integrated marketing communication is a new concept of marketing communication. It estimates the strategic position of different forms of communication, such as general advertising and packaging, and integrates the scattered information to combine these forms to provide Clear, consistent and most effective communication influence. Facts have proved that packaging plays an increasingly important role as an important factor in marketing communications. In marketing communication, product packaging is the real “terminal” in corporate marketing activities because it is the place where manufacturers and consumers “face to face” and is the place that can induce consumers to “pay”. The conclusion of packaging psychology research is that proper packaging can enable consumers to have "six senses"
(1) Freshness. The packaging needs to be novel and unique, not imitation, and it is refreshing.
(2) noble sense. Valuable goods or gift packaging should be gorgeous and elegant, and consistent with the product's worth, avoid name misconduct.
(3) Convenience. Packaging should facilitate consumer choice and use, adapt to different consumer needs, and have different specifications and weights.
(4) The sense of art. The packaging design strives to be pleasing to the eye and gives people a beautiful enjoyment.
(5) Intuitive sense. Strongly-selective products should enable consumers to see the colors, styles, textures, and other characteristics of the package.
(6) Trust. The shape, size, etc. of the package should be consistent with the actual product, so that the purchaser will not misunderstand, and should also indicate on the package the product composition, usage, weight, production date and expiration date. To make packaging play a role in the integration of marketing communications, according to the above principles, the packaging shape, color, text and other elements of communication are effectively integrated.

Packaging and product integration

The overall product concept in modern marketing believes that a product is any tangible item or intangible service that people provide to the market to satisfy the consumer or user's needs. Tangible items mainly include product entities and their quality, characteristics, brands and packaging; intangible services include after-sales services, product image, and reputation that can bring additional benefits and psychological satisfaction to consumers. This is the overall product concept. The overall product consists of three basic levels: core products, formal products, and expanded products. The core product refers to the use value of the product. The formal product is the physical structure and appearance of the product. It is a specific form of satisfaction for a certain consumer in the target market. It is generally reflected by the product's quality, characteristics, styles, product packaging and brand. The same is a product with different appearances, packaging and trademarks that can arouse consumers' different desires to buy.

With the advancement of science and technology, the gap between the material products produced by various manufacturers is getting smaller and smaller, and consumers are increasingly demanding products that meet their unique needs. This requires sales packaging design as a tool to create differences, so that consumers can get a certain psychological, emotional satisfaction through the uniqueness of the goods sales package, thus affecting consumer purchase and use of products. For example, in the cosmetics market, such fierce competition in the brand makes more and more types of products. How big is the functional difference between products? People are not necessarily clear, but smart business people know that packaging can turn silent products into products. Miracle cure. In fact, the ladies did not buy the cosmetics themselves, but they were confident, heroic, youthful, beautiful and fashionable. The exquisite packaging design can make the goods full of youth, youthfulness, robustness, elegance, fullness, cleanliness, strength and other feelings, satisfying customers' psychological, spiritual, and cultural needs, thus promoting sales. Similarly, out-of-date packaging can also make good products more expensive. As we all know, ginseng is a valuable rare medicinal material and it is expensive. However, prior to the reform and opening up, the relevant units of our country, when exporting ginseng, bundled ginseng like dried radish, and packed it with sacks or wooden boxes (10 kilograms). One can imagine that this "straw-wrapped pearl" packaging method cannot help but skeptical of the authenticity of its products, but also greatly reduces the value of ginseng. In this case, although the price is low, the sales are still poor. Later, the company finally changed its packaging strategy wisely, using small packages (one or two), accompanied by a satin silk box, or using a wooden box cover cellophane cover. This kind of “packaging” is elegant and generous, making ginseng rare and full. As a result, the result is not only marketable, but the price per ton has increased by 23,000 yuan over the past, making the profits of commodities double.

Obviously, packaging is not only a pattern design, but also the concept of the product, product sales claims into a visual image, through the visual can feel the concept, to create both commercial value and artistic value, with vivid concrete The perceptual image of the performance is manifested in order to promote the deepening of the theme of thinking, so as to achieve the purpose of accurately transmitting corporate information.

Reprinted from: Packaging Design Network