Express Image Blog

Ohh the Effects of Package Design

You may want to think twice before you send your next package design to print, for the effects it may have on consumers may go far beyond what they see on the outside. It turns out that package design can effect how a product tastes!?!?!

I read an article today, The Taste of Branding, that discussed something that happened to me over the weekend. The new white Christmas Coca-Cola Classic cans tricked me into believing that it was Diet Coke. Turns out, I’m not the only one this happened to, and Coca-Cola decided to pull the cans due to the confusion.

However, the crazy part is that some consumers weren’t confusing the new cans for Diet Coke, but instead thought that the new white cans actually made the Coca-Cola Classic taste different!?! However, Coke officials deny tweaking the taste, and say they only changed the can.

The article went on to explain that taste happens in the mind. Hence, things like expectation [you will love this] and concepts of value [this wine is very expensive] can have an effect on how things taste.

So what’s my point?

Print and package design goes beyond drawing consumer’s attention to products on retail shelves; How you brand it can actually affect how a consumer feels about the product itself: how it tastes, if they like it or not, etc. The Coke brand activates different associations in the memory and emotional parts of the brain, which contribute to the consumption experience. Which means that, when you drink a Coke, a part of what you are tasting is the brand.

Moral of the story: Think through your brand strategy when it comes to designing retail signage, displays and packaging, and make sure the design vibes with how consumers view your brand (your brand identity).