Strategic marketing determines packaging

Into the wrong packaging

The wine market is fiercely competitive and homogenous, and the differentiation of product packaging is particularly important. As a result, in order to make a good package, the owner of alcohol companies often personally in command, he spared no expense. However, product packaging is getting more and more exquisite, but the market sales have not expected changes.

The reason why this happens is that liquor companies never pay attention to packaging and go to the extreme of packaging. They put packaging in an overly important position, and they have entered a new misunderstanding.

Misunderstanding 1: Blindly pursue beauty and neglect brand personality. "New, extraordinary, special, jump (out), atmosphere" is the common requirement of many alcohol companies when they make packaging. Simply from the design point of view, these requirements do not seem wrong. However, ignoring the innate resources characteristics of companies and products, and ignoring the luxury packaging of brand cultural connotation, it is like an upstart who wears a suit that does not fit. Not only can it not be differentiated, but it also has the sensation of sensation and personality.

Misunderstanding 2: The packaging is complicated and the cost is high. In order to pursue high-grade and differentiated wine packaging, alcoholic beverages are becoming increasingly complex and costly. This not only drastically reduces the profitability of the company, leading to no market for the operation. On the other hand, consumers are increasingly skeptical about difficult-to-open packaging and high-priced packages that are damaged at one time. Furthermore, from the perspective of marketing, "complexity" itself is incompatible with "differentiation and personality." How can one of the classic packages be particularly complicated and expensive?

Misunderstanding 3: Too artistic. Wine is a popular consumer product. Good products must provide consumers with benefits. Good packaging must be able to clearly communicate the benefits of the product. Ignoring this basic marketing concept, blindly pursuing cultural tastes and developing overly artistic packaging, the reasons for consumers not buying are probably not aesthetic problems but the relevance of this package and wine to consumers’ drinking needs. Where is the point?

Misunderstanding 4: The package has been extended incorrectly, and the good packaging has missed the brand. A good package can express the brand personality well. However, the same brand, the same product name, and the introduction of several very good packaging at the same time, but often form a 1 plus 1 less than 1 effect blurs the brand image.

Packaging power comes from marketing strategy

In the consumer-driven era, only correct strategic marketing can determine the success or failure of execution. The difference in packaging is not only the packaging itself, but more importantly, it is due to differentiated marketing strategies.

Must show positioning, brand, unique resources

Market positioning, brand image, and unique corporate resources are important factors that must be taken into consideration in the marketing strategy, and are also the basis for forming differentiated packaging. Marlboro's market positioning is a man-made brand. Its brand image is a western cowboy. Although its product packaging is simple, it adopts the flat-opening lid technology pioneered at the time and sharpens the font of the cigarette name and uses a strong red color as the outer box. The main colors are reminiscent of men's masculinity.

Absolute brand vodka is one of the world's most recognized classic packaging. In contrast to the Chinese liquor standard, Absolute Brand Vodka is like a hospital salt water bottle. There is no packaging box, no bottle label, and the shape of the bottle is also not beautiful. It is a transparent glass bottle with some letters printed on it. But it is this simplicity that reflects the confidence of absolute Vodka and perfectly conveys the brand concept of “absolute purity and absolute perfection”.

The reason why Shuijingfang is a rare and good package is not only because of its beauty, but because of the organic combination of the shape of the ingenious bottle bottom, the ancient wine map, and the lion pattern rivets. These are perfectly aligned with their product names, the brand appeal of the First Liquor in China's Liquor, and the market positioning of ultra-high-end government consumption. Its outdoor and flat communication elements directly follow the design elements of the product, and the integrated communication effect is very obvious.

Consistent with product line extension and brand positioning

The brand strategy determines the extension of the product line. Product packaging can only be competitive if it is highly consistent with product line extension and brand positioning. Product packaging is the symbol of the brand. Therefore, the main product that can represent the brand image is often as simple as possible. Then, we must maintain the style of the main product, but also improve the product line, how to develop product packaging?

For different consumer groups, a multi-brand strategy is generally adopted. The product packaging between each brand generally does not have to be related, but must completely conform to each brand's image. For example, the P & G shampoo series Pantene displays its health, nutrition, and repair aspirations in black and white. Hafeifei uses white and sea blue as the main colors to express its anti-dandruff and refreshing brand appeal, while Sapporo has a bright red performance. Its professional hairdressing appeal.

Mature brands generally adopt infiltration strategies to increase market share, that is, products developed by the same brand in order to meet the different needs of the same target consumer groups, and the relevance of product packaging is relatively high. For example, Coca-Cola launched the low-calorie Diet Coca-Cola, which targets the feared fat Coke consumer group and is unified with its overall style, only the color has changed.

Liquor market is often the same brand, the same or similar packaging, the use of a star to five-star, gold and silver symbols to distinguish the grade of products, the formation of a full range of products, trying to win different consumer groups. Facts have proved that this product line and packaging strategy led to a rapid downgrade of the brand, and the brand's core competitiveness has weakened.

Long-term persistence and continuous innovation

Marketing strategy requires long-term adherence and continuous innovation, and branding does not happen overnight. Good packaging is the symbol of the brand. However, making packaging a symbol of the brand and allowing consumers to recognize, accept, like, and remember it is not achievable in the short term. Therefore, good packaging is formed in the long-term adherence and continuous improvement.

It is difficult to convince people that the Wuliangye bottle is high-grade. If you do not use Wuliangye's trademark, and other liquor, even if the exact same bottle is difficult to sell a good price. In fact, imitating the bottle of Wuliangye is probably the most. However, Wuliangye did not lose its grade because of the lack of high grade bottles, and it did not lose its characteristics because it was imitated. Instead, it was highly recognized by consumers and became a representative of high-end products. What are the reasons? For decades, the bottle has become part of the Wuliangye brand identity system.

Throughout the liquor market, what are the liquor products that consumers can remember deeply? I am afraid only Wuliangye, Maotai, Jiannanchun, and Luzhou Laojiao. The packaging style of the main products of these companies has been formed decades ago and continues to improve. In many other famous wine enterprises, product packaging is constantly changing their face. Although it is increasingly more luxurious and upscale, consumers' impressions have become increasingly blurred.

Some companies are trying to stabilize their existing consumer groups with new products when they enter a mature period. However, in order to innovate and improve the quality, the new product packaging style is too different and difficult to be accepted by consumers. We have found that P&G shampoos are designed to prevent brand aging and improve the original product packaging almost every year, adding new points of appeal and increasing prices, but it can be easy to succeed. This is worth learning from the wine industry.

Reprinted from: New Food