Basics of Marketing - Kotler Philip

Decisions regarding packaging of goods

Many products offered on the market must be packed. Packaging can play an insignificant role (for example, for inexpensive ironmongery), and can acquire a very great value (for example, for cosmetics). Some samples of packaging, such as bottles for Coca-Cola or boxes for tights "L'Eggs", are famous all over the world. Many market leaders refer to the packaging of the fifth main marketing variable in addition to the product, price, methods of distribution and stimulation. However, most sellers still consider packaging as one of the elements of the commodity policy.

Packaging is the development and production of a container or shell for a product.

The container or the shell are different packaging options, which includes three layers. Inner packaging is the direct container of the goods. For the after-shave lotion, the Old Spice, the inner pack is the bottle into which it is poured. Under the outer packaging we mean a material that serves as a protection for the inner packaging and is removed when preparing the product for direct use. For a bottle with lotion, the outer packaging is a cardboard box, which provides additional protection and gives the manufacturer the opportunity to use it for the purpose of stimulating the sale of goods. Under the transport packaging is meant a container that is necessary for the storage, identification or transportation of the goods. For the Old Spice lotion, the shipping package will be a box of corrugated cardboard, accommodating 72 bottles. Finally, an integral part of the packaging is labeling and printed information describing the goods, applied to the packaging itself or enclosed in it.

Packaging appeared in ancient times. Primitive people wore wild berries and fruits from the forest in their caves in animal skins or grass-bound baskets. Eight thousand years ago, the Chinese invented a variety of clay vessels to store solid objects and liquids. Ancient Egyptians created glass containers for storing liquids. By the beginning of the Middle Ages, leather, cloth, wood, stone, ceramics and glass were already in the category of packaging materials. For many centuries, the tasks of packaging were storage, protection and transportation of goods.

Recently, packaging has evolved into one of the most effective marketing tools. Well-designed packaging can be for consumers additional convenience, and for manufacturers - an additional means of stimulating the sale of goods. Expanding the use of packaging as a marketing tool contributes to a variety of factors:

1. Self-service in trade. An increasing number of goods are sold in supermarkets and discounted-price stores by self-service. In these conditions, the packaging should fulfill many functions of the seller, it must draw attention to the product, describe its properties, inspire confidence in the product in the consumer and produce a favorable impression in general.

2. Growth of prosperity of consumers. The growing prosperity of consumers means that they are willing to pay a little more for the convenience, appearance, reliability and prestige of improved packaging.

3. The image of the company and the image of the brand. Firms realize the effective power of a well-designed package as a consumer assistant in instant recognition of a firm or brand. Any buyer of the film immediately recognizes the familiar yellow boxes with the Kodak film.

4. Opportunities for innovation. Innovation in packaging can bring big benefits to the manufacturer. The creation in 1899 of a package that preserved the freshness of the trade item of the Unida biscuit (cardboard, inner paper wrapper and external paper wrapper) allowed to increase the storage time of the goods in the store in comparison with the usual containers in the form of boxes, boxes and barrels. Packaging processed cheese in tin cans, Kraft has increased the shelf life of cheese in the store and has established itself as a reliable producer. Today, Kraft is testing hermetic, heat-resistant bags, foil and plastic containers, designed to replace traditional cans. Firms that first offered their soft drinks in jars with a pull-out lid segment, and sprayed liquids - in aerosol packaging, attracted many new consumers to their products. Today winemakers are experimenting with cans with pull-out lid segments and a "box-in-a-box" package.

The development of effective packaging for a new product requires a large number of decisions. First of all, you need to create a packaging concept. The packaging concept is a definition of what kind of packaging should be in principle and what role it should play for a particular product. What will be the main function of the package - to provide more reliable protection of the goods, to offer a new method of distribution or bottling, to convey certain information about the quality characteristics of the product or firm or in something else?

The corporation "General Foods" has developed a new dog food in the form of briquettes such as minced meat briquettes. The management of the corporation came to the conclusion that an unusual and appetizing type of briquettes requires maximum visibility of the goods. It was visibility that laid the foundation for the concept of packaging, and it was from these positions that its possible options were considered. In the end, we stopped on a tray, covered with a transparent film on top12.

Then it is necessary to make decisions about other components of the package design: its dimensions, shape, material, color, textual design, presence of the brand name. It should be determined how much the text will be - a lot or a little, that you use - cellophane or some other transparent film, from which to make a tray - made of plastic or laminated materials, etc. Different elements must be linked to each other. The size of the package already allows you to make some assumptions about the materials for its manufacture, coloring, etc. The components of the packaging should be linked with the policy of pricing, and with advertising, and with other elements of marketing.

After the development of the design of the package, it should be subjected to a series of tests. Technical tests must verify that the package meets the requirements of normal operating conditions; Tests for visibility and appearance should identify whether the text is read, whether the colors match; Dealer testing should determine whether the packaging is popular with dealers, whether they consider it convenient for cargo handling; And finally, tests on consumers should show how much they perceive a novelty.

But despite all these precautions, from time to time in the design of the packaging, one or another serious flaw is detected.

During the market tests, it was found that the sausage "Siz-zi-spray", proposed by the firm "Hublin", is threatened by a potential failure due to its aerosol packaging. "It seemed to us that we had a good bank, but, thank God, we still decided to test the goods in trial markets in stores in Texas and California. And then it turned out that when the banks were heated, they suddenly burst. Since we have not yet started the nationwide distribution of goods, losses were not several millions, but only 150 thousand dollars. "13

Creating effective packaging for a new product can cost the firm several hundred thousand dollars and stretch from a few months to a year. The importance of packaging can not be overemphasized, given its functions such as attracting the attention of consumers and ensuring their satisfaction. At the same time, firms should not forget about social concerns about packaging problems and make decisions that are equally in the public interest, as well as the vital interests of consumers and firms themselves (see box 18).