Packaging is a full-fledged marketing tool that can work well and increase sales, can work partially, or doesn’t work at all. What does it take to make the packaging work? And to make the packaging to full fill its marketing features? We, at Moloko Creative, know, and we are happy to share our knowledge with you. So… keep on reading!
We are going to explain how the development of packaging for frozen products goes in our agency based on the example of our client «MORE by John Dory». This project has already been well-rated abroad: it was shortlisted at the 4th BASTEHA Biennale in Iran, won an award at the Lama Advertising Festival, and was featured in Communication Arts, the largest international magazine in the field of design, advertising, and illustration.
«John Dory» is the leader of the Belarusian market in the sphere of supply of refrigerated fish and seafood. They specialize in proven suppliers from Sri Lanka, Norway, Netherlands, and Cyprus. They have been operating since 2013. There are more than 300 names available, ranging from Scottish salmon to live lobsters.
They cooperate with major players in the Belarusian hotel and restaurant business. In 2018, the Republic’s first seafood bar, «John Dory Seafood Bar» was opened.
Objective:
Develop packaging for frozen products «MORE by John Dory».
Brand products have high quality, and it was essential to demonstrate. The primary target audience is people looking for a good alternative to chilled seafood and always choosing quality.
Start the research
Fact: About 70% of purchase decisions are made directly in front of the shop shelf, so it is crucial to know what exactly attracts the buyer to the shelf of a given product. And so we start by looking at the shelf and the packaging of the direct competitors.
What exactly do we study about the competition?
- Color palette. What colors are strongly associated with the product to be packed? Which color segments are occupied and which are available and can be used?
- Visuals. What font do the competitors choose in our category? What illustrations or photos do they use? What are other tricks?
- The shape of the packaging. How do competitors pack the product? What to do to stand out?
- Marketing stunts. Are marketing stunts used? Infographics, stickers?
We evaluate the shelf with similar products in foreign markets by the same criteria. This helps us understand which trends exist abroad and how they can be used in our case.
WHAT COMES NEXT? We build a virtual shelf of products that helps identify whether a new product can stand out against competitors and attract the buyer’s attention.
What did we have to deal with?
In the course of the study, it became clear that there was no place for design in the current market for frozen seafood. Instead, the products are packaged in simple vacuum packaging and piled on a shelf. We attribute this to the fact that producers do not identify the target audience and simply sell.
After analyzing the obtained information, we set ourselves a goal to introduce quality packaging design into the industry. And the task was to stick to the craft style.
So, goals and objectives had been set, and studies had been carried out, information analyzed. And the development of John Dory Frozen Product Packaging started.
What do we work on to make the packaging sell?
Positioning
Brand positioning is a reason to buy your product or service. These are the apparent rationale and emotional advantages the buyer will gain.
Designing packaging without positioning has some risks. Such design is only based on the designer’s subjective taste and professional experience. But will this packaging work? No one can be sure.
Does your product have no positioning? Tell us about your product, and we can find a cool way to make it stand out on a shelf.
Illustrations and a product window
Designers often put juicy pictures of appetizing products on the packaging to attract consumers’ attention. However, we had a task to preserve the craft-wrapping style. As a result, we have opted for easily recognizable seafood images on the send background. They do not draw attention away from the product and give the packaging a vintage and harmonious look and fit perfectly into the overall concept of packaging.
Another technique that we use is a product window. But, again, John Dory’s products are of high quality and look great, and not to show that advantage through a grocery window is an irrational act that can be compared to a crime against high sales.
Color Palette
The development of packaging for frozen products on the Belarusian market implies mainly two colors: red and blue. This is normal. Consumers already associated this color combination with the «fish» category. But how did we differentiate our products and emphasize their status without falling out of the category? Focus on the noble shades of red and blue.
The primary color on our package was scarlet, framed with bright orange. It referred to the color of tuna meat and fresh shrimp. We highlighted the product’s name and its advantages with the scarlet color. The extra color was deep, saturated blue. It was a hint of seawater.
The chosen noble shades fall into the category of frozen seafood and create strong associations with high-class products. In addition to references, combining these colors has another advantage: by contrast, they attract the eyes from afar.
Information stickers
The stickers on the packaging are very visible. They attract attention and convey to the buyer the advantages of the product simply and understandably:
- A small amount of ice;
- Amount of proteins and calories;
- Size (Royal shrimp);
- Guarantees freshness and others.
Given these criteria, the target audience makes the purchase. And that’s why information stickers need to be visible and easy to read.
Note that. The development of frozen product packaging is not the only area where information stickers can be used. This is a fairly efficient technique, and it has proved to be successful in creating a variety of packaging types.
Tactile sensation
In packaging — especially of high quality — it is not just the visual component that is important. The beautiful design encourages you to take a packaged product in your hand, but what should the package be like to make you not want to put it back on the shelf?
Add a pleasant tactile sensation that a potential buyer will experience when touching a product. For example, the matte coating of our packaging for John Dory mimicked the sand on the seabed and gave the buyer an association of throwing the hand in fine white sand in seawater.
This is the kind of package you want to touch.
What should be taken into account when designing packaging?
ADVICE. If you are putting a new product on the market and planning to grow a company or expand a product line in the future, make sure that you develop your brand identity in advance — before creating a packaging design.
Finished packaging design with no brand identity…
- …will at least lead to the need to redesign it in the future with the new brand identity;
- …or even to dictate the corporate style of the whole company or to severely limit the search for new creative solutions.
Both can be time-consuming and bring additional costs.
Results
The packaging development for frozen products «MORE by John Dory» was thriving. All the design elements described above were well combined, complied with brand positioning, and created a sea mood.
The finished product does stand out against competitors. The packaging emphasizes its high quality and advantages.