The main thing to visualize is that the role of packaging has changed. Detractors just don't understand what the package really does. It's no longer enough for the package just to get product to the retail environment in a satisfactory condition, now it has to "sell" the product too.

I'm not going to expound in depth on all the "real" things packaging does, but think of the primary responsibilities of the package. On the "short" list: it protects, conveys or transports the product so that it arrives undamaged or unbroken. It educates or tells us what is inside and what to do with it. It sells or persuades us to buy it. It makes it easy for us to use or consume it. Remember, that's just the short list.

Packaging plays an integral role in the decision to purchase a product or not. The problem is that what the consumer desires is constantly changing. Market trends come and go. Corresponding to the growth are niches that are declining too. Why it's important to understand the evolution of the package is because now products are using the packaging as the primary sales tool. Gone is the day of the sales clerk that can answer your questions about the product inside. The role of the package is no longer passive. It has to "speak" to the consumer both literally and figuratively. (Seriously talking packages are the wave of the future.) Think of all the great packaging applications if your package talked and could tell you how old the product was, what you should serve it with or to buy this companion product. What a sales tool!
     
That's only a fraction of what the new packaging can do. Most importantly, begin to think about your invention package. Does it "connect" with the consumer? In a sea of sensory overload what is going to make your package different? It could be shape, color, size, uniqueness of design or even smell. Are you utilizing any of the new smart and intelligent applications packaging applications? Does your package fulfill a need and explain in clear concise statements the benefits of buying your product. Is it easy to read and understand?
     
So start your analysis by viewing your package from the eyes of the consumer. If you are buying it, what's going to compel you to pick it up off the shelf? Or is it just sitting there lost amongst rows of competitive products? Think in terms your package calling out to you "buy me, buy me." Does your product do this? If not, your package isn't doing its job by persuading a consumer to purchase your product. Think about some of the latest packaging innovations, how can you incorporate them into your product packaging. Also consider the consumer mind set. Is your package perceived in a negative light negating the benefits of the product within?
     
All these questions need to be answered and not just with the initial package design, it’s an ongoing process. As I mentioned at the beginning the consumer is a moving target and your package has to move along with them in the right direction. Be sure the consumer you are trying to capture receives the right message.

Here are a few types of packaging coming under fire by consumers that could impact your success or failure:

        * Products that are perceived to be over packaged
        * Products that are in clamshells (more about this next week)
        * Products that are misleading in their information claims on the packaging
        * Products that are in materials deemed environmentally unfriendly
        * Packaging that doesn't work
        * Packaging that doesn't deliver as promised.

     
So think about your product packaging right now and determine whether it’s helping to sell your invention, or not.  For more ways to utilize packaging branding, innovation and marketing concepts to "connect" with your consumer, contact JoAnn Hines the Packaging Diva at "JoAnn at PackagingDiva.com" our visit her web site http://packagingdiva.com . You can also subscribe to her complimentary newsletter "Packaging News You Can Use" at the same email address.

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