Analysis of Packaging in Marketing

Packaging is a vastly overlooked area of marketing that I wish more companies would focus on. At a minimum, the package should get the product from the manufacturer to the consumer in good condition, and if the product can then be stored and used in its original container, even better. An example of a good packaging idea that was executed poorly is the Kraft Cracker Cuts package. The product is a block of cheese slices packed in strips of three slices in a zip-top see-through package, with paper in between to prevent sticking. This would be a great concept if convenience were the only factor, because the package is space-saving. If the zip-top bag worked properly, it would be convenient to use and would preserve the cheese nicely, as well. However, about every other bag incurs a package failure where the zip top separates from the bag, and the bag can no longer

Most packages are not very well made or useful for the consumer, in my opinion. Since the bag is a space-saving design, there is no extra bag material that can be cinched up to shut out the air; the only solution is to remove the product and put it in a Zip-loc bag of your own. In the last analysis, good packaging benefits not only the consumer but the manufacturer, as well; it is an extension of the brand, and it should represent that brand well. The cardboard box requires denuding of our forests to manufacture, is easily damaged, and does virtually nothing to keep food fresh not to mention that it is difficult to tell how much product is left in a package that can"tmt be seen through. Most manufacturers keep the same outmoded packaging for decades, even though technology has made better packaging possible. there is no longer any excuse for poor product preservation inside packages, and I am willing to pay more for better packaging, particularly when it is designed for ease of use and makes monitoring and preserving the product easy. Improvements to packaging are required. The compact can design is easy to toss into a backpack or keep on a desk, and the empty can is even useful for keeping loose pins or screws in. These are vacuum-packed in a compact pull-top can with a reusable plastic lid on top. Glass jars used to pack vegetables and pickles are heavy and easily broken. The packaging keeps the nuts perfectly fresh until opened, the pull-top design makes the package easy to open, and the reusable lid makes the package useful for storing the product in until it is gone. A product that is nicely packaged is Blue Diamond whole natural almonds. My impression of a manufacturer and its product is colored by the quality of the packaging; if the package is flimsy, it gives the impression that corners were cut in the quality of the product"tms manufacture, also.