28. Influences

28.

Influences

Packaging as a market is unique right off the bat. Only a few markets have this amount of influence built into its essential core. It’s emotional and something that the buyer expects as an experience when he or she opens the package. It’s the most critical part in the value chain, from the core product inside to the expectation and the ever-important sense of value, what you’ll get for your money. High expectations and low value create disappointment and is not what you would imagine while opening the package. It’s the opposite when you get more than you expect, a sense of fulfillment and the right experience. It’s the great feeling of a good deal that creates high value for your money.

Three other markets that operate in much the same way as the packaging industry are the fashion industry, car industry, and travel industry. These industries aren’t covering their products that much in packages but use the same instruments, the same values of influence. They all make money on building expectations, fostering dreams, and maybe creating a positive acknowledgment and sense of lifestyle to the buyers. The fashion market uses what we call the mirror effect. They expose the customers to a certain look in ads and in the store. It creates a good feeling; the right looks for a specific time of year. The fashion market has as much as 12 seasons to match the timing of the year. And yes, they miss from time to time when the weather doesn’t follow the season. But the big chains, still in 2018,

don’t really handle the geographic differences from Northern Europe, which still is experiencing wintertime, to Southern Europe. When people of the north are using the ice scraper on the car windshield, the people of the south are excited about the spring. Fashion companies try to find a happy medium, looking for the middle ground, as it’s where the major regions are. I understand that there are logistical issues or challenges, but the one supply chain that will start nailing this region by region will have a huge competitive advantage against other players in the market. Do you really want to mirror yourself with a spring feeling (from the ad) when you’re still wearing heavy winter clothes? Think about it. Don’t forget the ever-important view of a customer/consumer expectation, their dreams and needs of acknowledgment. The automotive industry doesn’t cover their products with a package. They work with specifications on the car, engine, size, features, and price. However, interestingly enough, most of the final decisions when a customer buys a car involve acknowledgment. It’s about the mirror. It’s about seeing yourself blending in with the car brand, profile, the community it offers, the Facebook-groups, and so on. The travel industry works with consumers craving to go forward, customers starving for some kind of experience that will add something new. Yes, it can be a change in the weather, especially for us northerners in the wintertime. Therefore, when the mirror attracts us with something from media (ad, billboard, TV, direct mail, magazine) it’s important that the mirror feels truly addressed to just ME. The attraction (good, not bad ones) needs to be personalized to ME and MY expectation and need of acknowledgement. Expectations are key elements for the whole travel industry. Too many companies play this too wide and the feelings of expectation from customers gets too low, and then a lower price comes in to justify the choice of travelling product. The more direct and personalized mirror – the higher value of the same expected product. The travel industry has more customers willing to pay extra for a ME-expectation than any other market.

Therefore, what do we learn from these markets? One thing is certain; we must see things from a customer or consumer view to really understand it all. Then, you can find the differences and similarities, and create what’ll be unique in your own story to your own customers. Value vs. price not only involves the product inside the package. The level of expectations that you are able to build around a product, including branding, often sets the actual market price. Not only for the product but also for the package to the brand owners. Don’t underestimate the value of time-to-market, where digital has a great advantage against analog. You’re also able to make many different versions (down to personalized)

for attracting more ME-values, as in different beliefs, languages, cultures, considering needs, seasons, etc. When it comes to acknowledgment, we all crave it. All people love to get the confirmation of being needed, a sense of belonging. How many iPhone customers threw away the packaging, the nice box, after unpacking the phone? Not many. Most of us kept it for the good exclusive feeling, maybe with the excuse to yourself that you might need it again. Packaging is a unique and powerful market, there’s no doubt about it.