Effective Contract Packaging Supports Brand Image and Marketing Efforts

Contract packaging, especially in the food sector accounts for a broad range of goods, from beverages and other liquids to solid food products in every dining category. As a result, contract packaging companies continually rethink bags, bottles, boxes and other containers, managing the flow of retail and food from producers all the way to consumers’ hands.

Marketing is at the heart of all professional packaging projects, so food producers and packagers think outside the box, responding to consumer demand, brand-building requirements and advancing technology. Successful packaging campaigns use every available tool to capture consumers’ attention – often calling on custom packaging solutions.

As packagers bring goods to retail shelves, success depends on sending the right messages. And while it protects products during transport and display, food packaging also influences consumer behavior. Contract packagers lean on several important principles to mount effective product packaging campaigns.

Packaging Responds to Consumer Needs

Contract packaging provides solutions for common consumer demands. Convenience, for example, is essential for people on-the-go, so modern packaging reflects consumers’ need for portability and ease-of-use.

Single dose powdered supplement pouches, serving-sized cello-wrappers and innovative stick packages each serve active consumers, enabling them to maintain sustenance without compromising their active lifestyles.

At the heart of all consumer goods bought, effective marketing is what gets consumer to respond and purchase. Often times, the marketing is subliminal and most people rarely take the time to think every product on the shelves, mostly likely has a well thought-out marketing objective – with the ultimate goal being to get the sale.

Product Packaging Tells a Story

More than ever before, connecting with consumers is essential for developing ongoing sales relationships. As a result, producers count on packaging to tell their story. Telling a story is one of the most effective form of marketing. Why? It connects to emotion.

Healthy eating, for example, appeals to modern food shoppers, so packages incorporating healthful messages and imagery help reinforce producers’ commitment to providing healthy food alternatives.

Shrink sleeves for bottles dramatically illustrate the difference between pedestrian everyday packaging and the types of targeted, specialized approaches used by progressive packaging companies to boost brand awareness. The custom shrink-wrapped sleeves enable producers to incorporate branding into every unit, rather than relying on outer packaging alone to share their stories.

Social Responsibility Matters

Responding to social issues is another key component of modern packaging. For instance, sustainable practices and environmental concerns are increasingly relevant to consumers, so distinct packaging shifts follow this growing social concern.

In one example of the way packaging reflects social values, bioplastics and other earth-friendly materials are incorporated into modern food containers, reinforcing brand commitment to social responsibility. Bio-based packages constructed with films derived from sugar cane are currently found on store shelves, used to market juices and other liquids.

And starch-based bio-polymers are now constructed of 80% natural materials. Not only do they require less energy to produce, but the eco-friendly packages help organic producers and other socially conscious natural food companies underscore brand values.

Packaging Creates an Experience

Passive packaging does not measure up in today’s consumer marketplace. Instead, the most successful packages combine functionality with unique presentations, striving to add amusement to each shopper’s brand experience. Combination packages, for example, incorporate multiple materials, creating distinctive brand presence on shelves.

And various packaging techniques are also used to add entertainment value to products, incorporating recognizable characters and brand artwork into each package. “Active” packages also include those designed with enhanced functionality, like self-sealing pouches or self-dosing supplement packaging.

Regardless of its contents, each retail package serves several functions. Innovative packaging solutions directly reinforce branding to create unique consumer experiences. As a result, distinctive product packaging is an integral part of any marketing campaign, reinforcing brand image at the point of sale.