I’ve long been fascinated by the role packaging plays in influencing consumers’ buying choices.
The bottle, box, can or tub must not only hold and protect the product, but scream “pick me” in an increasingly crowd-ed marketplace.
There are many other considerations, apart from aesthetics, design and technological innovation.
It may be lovely to look at, but is it environmentally unfriendly? Was the pack redesign motivated by a desire to shrink the pack size in the hope that consumers wouldn’t notice?
Is the product over-packaged, duping the consumer into thinking they’re getting more than they actually are?
Can consumers easily read the label?
One of the most interesting and rewarding things I’ve done this year was join a panel of judges, with diverse experience and expertise, to judge the Institute of Packaging’s Gold Pack Awards for 2013.
For three days in Johannesburg we volunteered our time to pore over scores of packs, from tubs of face creams and bottles of booze (no, there was no sampling!) to household cleansers and a novel plastic cage designed to transport live chickens.
That was back in August, and last week the winners were finally announced at a black-tie function at the Wanderers Club.
Taking the Gold Pack trophy as overall winner was the Robertson’s spice bottle, both the spice cap (entered by Unilever, Astrapak JJ Precision Plastics and Spec Tool & Die) and the 100ml bottle (entered by Consol Glass) being exceptionally innovative.
That cap is the world’s first injection-moulded multifunctional closure on a glass bottle – they’re usually found on top of plastic ones. And the bottle is lighter and more ergonomic than the old one.
Winning gold in the beverage category was Castle Lite’s easy flow can (entered by Nampak Bevan).
The innovative, flip-twist-flow opening, which allows the beer to flow out smoother and faster, is a first in South Africa.
Winning the perishable food category was Parmalat’s Presto (entered by Parmalat and Astrapak Plastform).
It’s that blue plastic pack which allows you to squeeze the contents directly into your mouth, doing away with the need for a spoon.
The gold medal in the health, beauty and personal care category went to the Dawn skincare range (Unilever, Astrapak KZN Plastop).
The redesign of this bottle, with a recyclable PET sleeve featuring a transparent strip down the side, allows the consumer to see the product.
The story of this product fascinated me.
Dawn was the market leader, in a transparent bottle, until 2008, when it was repackaged in an opaque bottle and jar, meaning consumers couldn’t see the cream, and most notably, its colour, on the shelf.
Sales plummeted.
Realising the blunder, Unilever had the range repackaged last year, with the so-called “visi-strip”, and since then, sales have rocketed.
Conclusion: Consumers respond to product colour.
A locally developed (African Closures, Powafix), child-resistant closure for products such as turpentine and thinners, in bright colours, won gold in the household category and Hansa’s clever “top clip carton”, allowing a consumer to carry four quarts by a single handle, won gold for Nampak Cartons & Labels.
Comment of the night: A fellow judge, on spotting a blonde in a particularly bright, sequinned ballgown: “Now that’s packaging!”