ctivnan
11/04/08, 10:42 AM
Packaging: The Thought Behind A Wine Label
Ten stances on brand positioning through the eyes of a designer.
By Tony Auston
Wine is a product category like no other. The closest comparison in the United States would be breakfast cereal brands. Like breakfast cereals, wine has a multitude of products competing for consumer attention on the grocery store shelf, often taking up an entire aisle, sometimes two or three. Each brand must, therefore, catch the consumer's eye and communicate its message as quickly as possible. Also, like cereals, wine is one of the few consumer products that actually sits on the table as you consume it, allowing for further and closer inspection of the package, and thus, the brand message as you work your way through the bottle.
As designers, these two commonalities challenge us to create a package that not only quickly attracts our target consumer but also offers more subtle details and information that can be revealed at a much gentler pace. This is the perfect opportunity to reinforce the brand's positioning, deliver a message and encourage repeat purchases. Considering the large amount of competition fighting for attention on-shelf, first impressions are crucial and, in most cases, are made solely because of the package.
As brand developers and packaging designers, we take responsibility for a consumer's first purchase. Once we have convinced a consumer to try a product, we relinquish responsibility of repeat purchases to the producer and the relationship they have developed between price and wine quality. Admittedly, our responsibility does continue as it is equally important that the first impression be a memorable one, allowing a consumer looking to make a repeat purchase to easily locate the brand on a crowded store shelf.
From Wine Business Monthly, 08/15/2008
Ten stances on brand positioning through the eyes of a designer.
By Tony Auston
Wine is a product category like no other. The closest comparison in the United States would be breakfast cereal brands. Like breakfast cereals, wine has a multitude of products competing for consumer attention on the grocery store shelf, often taking up an entire aisle, sometimes two or three. Each brand must, therefore, catch the consumer's eye and communicate its message as quickly as possible. Also, like cereals, wine is one of the few consumer products that actually sits on the table as you consume it, allowing for further and closer inspection of the package, and thus, the brand message as you work your way through the bottle.
As designers, these two commonalities challenge us to create a package that not only quickly attracts our target consumer but also offers more subtle details and information that can be revealed at a much gentler pace. This is the perfect opportunity to reinforce the brand's positioning, deliver a message and encourage repeat purchases. Considering the large amount of competition fighting for attention on-shelf, first impressions are crucial and, in most cases, are made solely because of the package.
As brand developers and packaging designers, we take responsibility for a consumer's first purchase. Once we have convinced a consumer to try a product, we relinquish responsibility of repeat purchases to the producer and the relationship they have developed between price and wine quality. Admittedly, our responsibility does continue as it is equally important that the first impression be a memorable one, allowing a consumer looking to make a repeat purchase to easily locate the brand on a crowded store shelf.
From Wine Business Monthly, 08/15/2008