Packaging is King !

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It is easy to see how the fiercely competitive retail markets too have adapted such practices to assert the superiority (or appeal) of their product compared to the next one on the shelf. It is well known that the attraction of beautiful packaging is everything in many categories of consumer products. People just wouldn’t buy most of the products they do without the lure of the beautiful boxes in which they are sold. Packaging today, indeed is King! And this makes the corollary, ‘Content is Not King!’ equally true.

Content is Not King
In a recent article, Andrew Odlyzko writes, “Content, to be effective and valuable, is entirely reliant upon other factors. Content is extremely important, but it is not the ultimate, universally dominant entity. To call Content a ‘King’ is to revert to old fashioned imperialistic, phallocentric, male-dominated hierarchy. Even worse, ‘Content is King’ is a meaningless mantra that people chant, without being able to explain it. 

“It almost goes without saying: fancy flashy packaging or presentation with poor content is going to fail. But even the world’s best content, all by itself, just sits there, isolated, accomplishing nothing, attracting nobody. “Contrary to popular myth, Content is NOT ‘King.’ Being almost completely dependent on other factors, it is more accurate to refer to Content actually . . . as a Slave.

“Perhaps it’s because your highly exalted Content is missing the synergists that make it complete. Things like Presentation, Understandability, Substantiation, Findability, Relevance, Timeliness, Context, Usability and Convenience, for example. It is for these reasons that Content cannot be King. Dethroned, or better, usurped by Connectivity, Presentation, and Interactivity, Content is low man on the totem pole. 

“Many times, when someone is consuming content they enjoy or find valuable, their first impulse is to interact with it, by way of posting a comment, a question, praise or a complaint.”

Some argue that ‘all things being equal, good content beats bad or no content.’  But one could also say ‘Packaging is King’ because nice, attractive packaging will be more compelling than ugly or no packaging. 

As David Frey writes in his article, ‘The Secret to Selling a Commodity Product:’ “What can I do to differentiate my soap from the other soap that’s being sold in the market at constantly undercut prices?” He goes on to provide the answer himself: “Simply package your soap in a bright fluorescent yellow wrapping with a picture of the sun and rays of sunshine on it and call it, ‘Sunny Fresh.’ This will ensure that whether or not there is a real difference in quality between your soap and the other, the users will certainly begin to perceive a difference in their minds.”

Mind-space domination
When packaging design sets out to dominate a piece of mind-space it often leaves the product far behind. Several such examples can be observed in the market-place. Two interesting examples I came across recently are illustrated here.  The most noteworthy point about such products is that the packaging appears to completely overshadow the product by its own appeal such that it becomes a ‘product’ by itself. At such a point, it can be said that if packaging is king, the king not only performs his kingly functions (that is, governance of a market share) but also kindles an unmatchable appeal and feeling of loyalty amongst his subjects (customers). May we daresay, watch out Singh…we have another King. 

Canned Kangaroo – Export Quality
Keep contents within reach of children after opening. Recently, when a friend was to return from Australia, he asked me what I wanted most from there. “Oh, nothing really” I said, “but you could try bringing me a kangaroo.”  Imagine the surprise then, when on his return he handed me a can of Canned Kangaroo. This double-ended, paper labelled tinplate can arrives looking deceptively like a can of food-stuff, complete with its ‘use by’ date and ‘contents’ declaration. A can opener is required to open it and then out jumps ‘one red furry kangaroo.’ The rest of the label carries product story in the form of ‘Kangaroo Facts’ with a tip to watch out for boxing kangaroos. Stuffed, furry toys are sold around the world but surely not as uniquely packaged as ‘Canned Kangaroo.’ 

Paragon by Rasasi, Dubai
This smart red black, octagonal pack for Paragon Parfum looks like any other pack of fragrance till its lid is lifted. After the lid is removed the octagonal sides flare out in the shape of bright flower petals to reveal the fancy bottle of perfume inside. The octagon is made from one-piece box-board (250gsm) laminated inside with gold lacquered aluminium foil. The printed box-board is foil-stamped with text outside and by clever creasing and folding the box is held together by the cap (also box-board), printed with a red colour ground and the brand name Paragon in black.

It becomes quite evident that the charm and novelty of the way this package is presented is distraction enough for anyone to ignore the quality of the fragrance inside the bottle.

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