Branding and packaging are an essential part of any business strategy, and mistakes in branding can be costly. From logo design to messaging, there are many factors to consider when building a brand that resonates with your customers. As a packaging and branding agency, we understand the critical role at play in creating a successful brand image. Packaging is the first point of contact that consumers have with a product, it is crucial in creating an impression that can influence purchasing decisions. However, packaging mistakes can be costly, damaging a brand’s reputation and resulting in lost sales. Here we explore some mistakes to avoid.
Pitfalls to avoid with your packaging and Brand Design:
- Poor Logo Design
One of the most common branding mistakes is poor design. A logo is the face of a brand, and a bad logo can turn off potential customers before they even have a chance to learn about the product or service being offered. For example, in 2010, the well-established clothing and accessories retailer Gap decided to redesign its 20 year long standing logo. They introduced a new logo after a slump in sales. Their new design was widely criticised by consumers and experts. Consumers use logos as a key signifier of a brand. Gap underestimated the emotional impact on consumers, particularly their loyal ones.
- Inconsistent Branding
Consistency is key when it comes to branding. A brand should have a consistent message and visual identity across all platforms, including social media, advertising, and packaging. If you don’t communicate clearly what your brand is and how the elements are used or why it’s important, then you can do great damage. A lack of consistency could lead to the creation over time of ad hoc elements and materials. Which often means incorrect logo use, the creation of more than one logo in variations that are off brand, wrong colours and font specifications, inappropriate brand messaging, typos and low-quality designs. All of which will dilute your brand resulting in a poor-quality brand image.
- Lack of Authenticity
Consumers today are more aware of branding tactics than ever before, and they can quickly spot when a brand is not being authentic. Brands that try too hard to be trendy or appeal to a certain demographic without understanding their audience can come across as insincere and turn off potential customers.
In 2017, Pepsi launched an ad that was widely criticised for trivialising political protests. It’s unclear what the activists are marching for, but the actress joins them and takes a Pepsi from the cooler and hands it to the officer. The officer takes a sip, and everyone cheers. The ad was quickly pulled, and the company apologised. A released statement read “Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding” The lesson in this is to strive for authenticity in messages that involve social issues. If your packaging or brand advertising is to feature genuine and positive campaigns or key messages focussed on social issues pull in focus groups to ensure the message lands the way you intend with the appropriate audiences.
Failing to Adapt to Changes
Brands that fail to adapt to changes in the market or consumer behaviour can quickly become irrelevant. This can happen when a brand becomes too attached to its original identity or business model and fails to evolve over time.
Toy’s R Us, a much-loved children’s brand, struggled to adapt to the rise of e-commerce and lacked creative vision. They failed to provide an enjoyable, personalised customer experience providing convenient, competitively priced products for their customers.
Within the packaging world brands do well when they adapt their packaging to changes or technological/social trends. Brands such as Coca-Cola ‘share a coke’ works to personalise the purchasing experience encouraging social sharing. Beck’s beer embraced and supported artists in 2012 showcasing artwork on their labels and created an engaging online app allowing users to create their own artwork. These adaptations to change create excitement and reignite the brand in the eye of their consumers. Getting it right and keeping a close eye on a brand’s surroundings within the market is imperative.
Ignoring Feedback
Ignoring feedback from customers or failing to address negative feedback can be a costly branding mistake. Consumers today have a voice through social media and online reviews, and ignoring their feedback can damage a brand’s reputation.
According to some research 91% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. The first port of call when purchasing online may be the number of likes or comments & reviews. If a product is receiving bad reviews, you would be more than likely to skip that product or service and onto the next with better reviews.
Your packaging may be difficult to open, or the unboxing experience is a let-down in comparison to the price point. There are numerous examples of brands having lovely packaging for the consumer to then find the product lets it down. The two in unison are just as important and the repurchasing of that item would be less likely to happen if a brand was to ignore any feedback on the issue. If there were to be an issue with your packaging from a structural point of view or graphic design point of view it would be best to tackle these changes and be openly and genuinely aware of it. Recently Heinz created an advert showcasing someone decanting a cheaper alternative competitor sauce into their empty bottles to disguise it. Heinz used this to highlight the issue that they may not be the cheapest, but they are still the best. They didn’t ignore the feedback, but they flipped it around to their advantage and made light of it, making them a more genuine understanding brand in the long run.
Things to focus on:
Brand failures demonstrate the importance of careful branding, packaging design and the potential impact of mistakes. In order to avoid these mistakes, brands should focus on.
- Investing in quality logo design to create a memorable and recognisable brand identity that reflects the brand’s values and attracts consumer attention.
- Consistency across all platforms to build a strong and cohesive brand message. To build strength in your brand it is best to maintain consistent branding across all platforms, including packaging.
- Authenticity and sincerity in marketing efforts to build trust with consumers. Staying adaptable and open to change within the market or socially to stay relevant in a constantly evolving world.
- Adapt to change in the market in an ever-evolving world socially, technologically and environmentally can be imperative for a brand to stay on track ahead of its competition and stay at one with their consumers.
- Listening and responding to customer feedback to improve brand reputation. Taking on board the negative and utilising it for positivity moving the brand forward building relationships with its critics, converting them to loyal fans of their brand.
- Ensuring that packaging is easy to open and dispose of, reducing consumer frustration. Making sure your products are practical, convenient and user friendly is certainly something that needs to be considered to encourage repeat buying and avoiding negativity.
- Lack of Functionality Packaging that lacks functionality can be frustrating for consumers and can negatively impact the brand image. Consumers expect packaging to protect the product, but they also want packaging that is easy to use and dispose of.
For example, in 2013, Starbucks released a new takeout cup design that was difficult to recycle due to its plastic lining. The design was criticised for being environmentally unfriendly and not functional. The company later released a new design that was more eco-friendly and easier to recycle.
- Using eco-friendly materials to minimise the impact of packaging on the environment. Generations before and the more recent Gen alpha are increasingly eco conscious building into their daily activities changes that impact areas such as waste handling, sustainable purchasing and so much more. The decision to purchase more sustainable materials and packaging alternatives is becoming increasingly common. We have clients considering mushroom packaging for their brand and ever more we receive projects focused on utilising better eco-friendly and sustainable options. At Brand Picks Ltd we donate monthly toward growing trees throughout the world to build a regenerative business model.
In Conclusion
Branding mistakes can be costly, both in terms of revenue and reputation. One of the most common packaging mistakes is poor design. A poorly designed package can fail to capture the attention of consumers, leading to lost sales. According to a survey 34% of consumers have purchased a product solely because it was in a well-designed package. Packaging that is difficult to open can be frustrating for consumers and create a negative association with the brand. In 2010, Amazon released their frustration-free packaging initiative, which aimed to eliminate hard-to-open packaging. The initiative was a success, with customers praising the ease of opening the new packaging. The initiative also had a positive impact on the environment. Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of packaging. Great design, customer experiences and consistency are essential, and this extends to packaging. Inconsistent branding could dilute your brand message.
From an environmental, social, fun or informative aspect right through to how you dispose of it with ease or with complication. These factors will touch upon your customers and create their impression of your products and brand. Make them count.
