The Power of Packaging

The Power of Packaging

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Understand the importance of innovation and differentiation in packaging for the sale of a product or service
• Discuss about the complexity and uniqueness of packaging a service vis-à-vis a tangible product
• Debate on what it takes for Indian companies to adopt to the global standards of packaging – both for products/services and POP/POS

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Packaging: The Invisible Brand Ingredient

1. What do you think are the four important functions of packaging?

2. The article says that packaging has a functional role to play, what kind of functional role do you think packaging should play to bolster the brand image?

3. For quite a long time, packaging has been advocated (with no consensus, of course) as the 5^th P of the marketing mix and its importance has been growing over the years as many companies have taken to exclusive designers to do their ‘branded’ packaging. In your opinion should packaging be given this importance?

4. .....................

Packaging a Product vs Packaging a Service

1. What are the differences between packaging of products and services?

2. Can services that are largely invisible be packaged? For instance, can a three-star or a five-star hotel package its service?

3. ...............

Packaging in India: The New Dimensions

1. The base article says that nature still remains a wonderful source of inspiration about how it contains and transports things? Can packaging industry learn from the nature, the way, coconuts, oranges, eggs, beans, bananas, apples, grapes , sugarcane, etc., are packaged? Illustrate with clear examples.

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The Power of Packaging

Synopsis

This case flyer facilitates a discussion about how companies are innovatively devising their packaging to enhance the choice and sale of the products/services. Some of the brands like Y Water, Help, Absolut, etc., are differentiating themselves through their innovative and refreshing packaging. The packaging of a product influences consumer decision-making to a certain extent. The packaging of a product varies from the packaging of a service as each of them have their unique requirements to fulfil. Packaging a service is more complex as against product packaging. In the Indian scenario, packaging is evolving as a growing industry that has global standards in place to be benchmarked. This case flyer is ideally suitable to teach Packaging and Labelling concepts during the Marketing Mix discussion on product and its complementarities.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Understand how important innovation and differentiation are in packaging a product or service for its sale
• Discuss about the complexity and uniqueness of packaging a service vis a vis a tangible product
• Debate about what it takes for Indian companies to adopt to the global standards of packaging – both for products/services and POP/POS

Positioning and Setting

This case flyer can be ideally used in the following course:

• a) General Marketing Management Course: Product – Packaging and Labelling

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Suggested Orchestration

Before the Case Flyer Discussion in the Classroom

a) Each student should be asked to get one package material from various product categories, for instance, soaps, detergents, chocolate bars, after shave lotion, smartphones, etc., – to discuss the importance of packaging in their buying decisions.

b) Each student should be asked to bring in at least one carry bag/cover from any of the retail stores for instance – Adidas, Brand Factory, Lacoste, etc., or a local cloth retail showroom – to discuss the innovations and differentiation in packaging and debate on what Indian companies can do to achieve the global standards.

During the Case Flyer Discussion in the Classroom

The discussion on the case flyer was conducted under the three broad topics: ..........

The below process was followed to discuss the broadly related topics:

I. Packaging: The Invisible Brand Ingredient

The class commenced with a discussion on companies showcasing their packaging as a differentiator of their brand against the competitors. Some of them were highlighted in the base article as under:

• Y Water: Organic, low calorie children’s drink; the packaging was planned to be reusable and as a creative aid.

• Help Remedies: The idea was to change the way healthcare is thought about by creating a unique medicine packaging.

• Absolut Vodka: The shape of the bottle creates a distinct place for itself among the other breweries.

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Exhibits

Exhibit (TN)-I: Functions of Packaging

Exhibit (TN)-II: Importance and Influence of Packaging to Global Consumers

Exhibit (TN)-III: Process Flow in Hotel Industry