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Are you as shocked as I am, to think that there is a free communication channel which most marketers are not using effectively today?
So what is this incredible channel? The Internet? No. Social Media? No.
OK, so everyone is excited about the web and have jumped on board the digital train. But some are already seeing that online advertising is not the “safest” way to communicate.
Take P&G for example. A recent AdAge article stated that:
Procter & Gamble’s concerns about where its ads were showing up online contributed to a $140 million cutback in the company’s digital ad spending last quarter…
P&G didn’t call out YouTube, the subject of many marketers’ ire earlier this year, … but did say digital ad spending fell because of choices to “temporarily restrict spending in digital forums where our ads were not being placed according to our standards and specifications.”
Will others follow? I don’t know. But I would like them all to reconsider their total advertising spend in light of this underutilised but highly effective channel that I’m about to share with you. Have you guessed what it is yet? It’s packaging!
Think about it. Packaging communicates in-store, on the shelf as shoppers pass by.
It communicates to users when they take it home and open it. Although for how long? See below for some developments in that area.
And it may also communicate when it’s used, whether it is snacks, drinks, breakfast cereals, cookies, pharmaceuticals or a whole load of other products which are consumed straight from the pack.
So if a pack has the possibility to communicate, why are so few marketers using it?
I believe it’s because they don’t see packaging as a communication channel, which is a serious mistake. After all, it’s free!
There are two very popular posts on C3Centricity on the topic, which you might like to read before continuing. The first is “How Communicating through Packaging is more Informative & Personal” which shares some great examples of how creative pack usage has become the basis of full media campaigns. Click the link above to read more.
The other is “Is your Packaging Product or Promotion?” which talks about why people don’t read instructions – until they need them – but they do read what’s written on packs. Click above to read more.
Both of these posts provide some great examples of companies which have used their packaging to communicate with their consumers. However they are a couple of years old now, so I wanted to update my thoughts on the packaging channel opportunities, as well as the examples I share.
After all, customers have become more demanding in recent years and want to know far more about the products they purchase.
And if you can’t wait to start a review of your … Click to continue reading
