When you want to develop, enhance or completely redesign and refresh your branding, your packaging is one of the first things that you’ll look at.
How does your product stand out on the shelf? What aspects of the design and packaging are going to attract shoppers and keep them coming back?
Many leading FMCG brand marketers plan their brand refreshes and relaunches months or sometimes years ahead. The aim is to freshen up their products’ brand image and shelf appeal so they can achieve the ever-important sales and marketing objectives.
In fact, brand refreshes are carried across every sector, from cars to supermarkets to luxury goods. They all need to adapt to stay competitive.
And of course, the same is true for other consumer categories whether it’s pet foods, coffee, tea and other drinks, foods, snacks or supplements.
Today, we’re seeing an explosion in the market for new forms of pouch packaging due to the increasing demand for on-the-go products. They’re light, easy to transport, convenient to carry, easy to use – and they make for a great shelf display. They can also offer an easily recyclable alternative to pots and tubs.
If you are considering refreshing your brand packaging, read on to discover the options pouches might give you.
Or if not, take these ideas as inspiration for new forms of packaging for your products!
Why marketers go through brand refreshes
As every Marketer, Category Manager or Brand Manager knows, brand refreshes are part of the fabric of FMCG marketing. They’re simply something you have to do and are factored into the lifecycle of most consumer products.
Far from being a burdensome task or chore, a brand refresh project can be both challenging and exciting for the brand and can inject new life into a product.
Which brings us to the packaging. Although just one part of the brand refresh, it is often the most important. But what makes packaging such an important factor in brand refreshes – and why do brand managers invest so much time and effort in packaging design?
It’s because your product packaging is what consumers are going to see first.
The 5 reasons your brand refresh should involve pouches
Take a look at these reasons why pouches should factor into your brand refresh from the start.
Brand recognition in-store and elsewhere
Packaging style can be used to develop a strong brand image, such that a packaging style becomes associated with brand recognition in-store.
Think of Toblerone, for example – an iconic example admittedly, but you get the idea.
Pouch packaging can – subject to certain constraints – be designed and manufactured in various shapes and sizes, so can be easily made to look distinctive on supermarket shelves.
Brand evolution
Incorporating pouches into your packaging refresh can be instrumental in evolving your product’s brand image. It speaks to renewal and evolution.
If you’re looking to evolve your brand or breathe new life into it, don’t be constrained by the same product or style of conventional packaging.
Pouches can be used as part of a brand image refresh to keep your product relevant through new packaging. This can entice new and old customers alike to take a renewed interest in the product.
Develop new ways to consume your product
Packaging can be evolved for practical purposes to drive new forms of consumption or feed different habits. Reinventing your product using visual alterations and different forms of packaging can help to reinforce your competitive edge against other brands on the shelf.
A great example is the phenomenon of snack food and drinks consumption on the go, made all the easier by replacing bottles, boxes and cartons with much lighter pouches.
Give the product a utility value
Providing utility value is important for some brands. Making a product easier to use or to consume – such as by adding a spout to a drinks pouch, or a resealable zipper to maintain freshness on snack pouches – can add value to a product.
Furthermore, a utility feature can also offer a new way for your product to stand out on the shelf or chiller cabinet.
Keep your brand a step ahead of competitors
There is no doubt at all that brand packaging is a competitive tool. Advanced, highly designed and functional forms of packaging such as pouches can help you compete in a saturated market and give you a competitive edge.
When it comes to a brand refresh, your packaging redesign is all part of keeping your brand looking fresh and new. Introducing pouches as a new alternative or complementary form of packaging not only tells your customers you’ve got something new and exciting for them but also helps you steal a march over your competitors in the battle to stay at the top of your sector.
Next Steps
Introducing digitally printed pouches to your packaging mix as part of your brand refresh is definitely worth considering if you want to gain benefits such as driving more brand recognition and gaining a competitive advantage.
With so many great custom options available in digitally printed pouch design and manufacturing, there is something for every brand manager.
For more great ideas and to discuss using digitally printed pouches as part of your brand refresh, talk to Readability and we’ll be delighted to help. Contact us to start your brand refresh today.
About the Author: Sam Edney
Sam is our Sales Director, working with customers to find the best packaging solutions for their products, brand and target audience. With a passion for new materials and technology, all while keeping a firm focus on sustainability .