The Major Functions of Glass Packaging - Essay Example

GLASS PACKAGING Student’s Name Course Tutor Date Introduction Function of glass packaging Consumer preferences in relation to sustainable and pure packaging are making many consumers to revert to the use of glass. For decades, glass packaging has been the most trusted system of storing food, medicines and beverages. Glass has a long staying ability as a sustainable and pure package that is very healthy both to the consumer and environment. Since it is made from naturally available raw materials; sand, limestone and soda ash, glass is not nonporous and impermeable, which adequately protects its contents from tampering and degradation (Rundh, B. 2005), In addition to that, glass is not chemically reactive thus referred to as inert, which protects contents from oxygen and moisture, hence ensuring that the flavour and freshness of its contents as well as the shelf-life of the product is preserved. According to a survey carried out in 2006 by an Oklahoma based marketing research firm, Newton Marketing & Research, about 78% of the consumers mainly prefer glass packaging for the maintenance of the purity of food and beverages, and about the same margin (75%) preferred it for preserving the taste or flavour of a product while 82% talked of it as a sure way of maintaining the healthiness and integrity of foods and beverages. What is involved in packaging? The real meaning of packaging in general varies and range from simple and functionally focused to more extensive, holistic interpretations. Packaging can therefore be defined as an extrinsic element of a consumer or industrial product, which is an attribute related to the product itself but does not in any way form part of the physical product. Packaging is thus the container for a given product that encompasses the physical configuration of the container and includes the design, shape, color, materials used and labeling. In this aspect, most marketing literature considers packaging to be an instrumental part of the the 4 P’s of the product component thus: product, price, promotion and place (Cateora and Graham, 2002, pg 358-360). Coca Cola’s glass packaging In recent times glass packaging has tremendously developed well above its original function as just basically a means of protecting a product and thus now plays a fundamental marketing role in the development of shelf appeal, establishment of brand awareness and image and provision of product information as shown by Coca Cola’s range of soft drinks products. As the role of glass packaging in the marketing mix continues to gain more mileage, so research into glass packaging is becoming more increasingly significant. Given the possible benefits of packaging as one of the critical aspects in achieving marketing objectives, it is imperative to fully understand the role it plays in the promotion and marketing of products. Types of packaging in Coca Cola products It is important to categorize Coca Cola glass products packaging in terms of function and layer thus; primary and secondary packaging. Primary packaging in the product is the glass bottle which holds the product hence the first line of packaging as it is in direct contact with the product, and in this case the soda. On the other hand, secondary packaging of the Coke glass products is on the outside of the primary packaging, and is mainly used to collectively group primary packages (Rice and Hofmeyr, 2000, pg 216), It therefore holds a single unit of a product such as a crate of Coca Cola bottles of soda. Tertiary packaging is mostly used for handling large quantities as well as shipping of a product. The relevance of packaging as a promotional and marketing tool Some people have argued that packaging majorly serves as a tool of product promotion rather than just product extension. Packaging has also been considered an attribute that is independent of the product. According to him, it is constitutes one of the elements of the product brand together with the logo, name, the slogans and personality, or graphic symbol. While the main use for glass packaging may be considered to be concerned with protection of the product inside, it also fulfils a fundamental role in that it also provides the consumers with packaging or recognisable logo, such as coca cola beverage bottle so that one instantly know what the goods are inside. From the perspective of the consumer, packaging plays a very important role in product purchasing both as a source of information and cue. Packaging in general is therefore critical, owing to the fact that it is the first thing that the consumers see before embarking on the decision making to purchase the product. Marketing experts have all along warned product manufacturers never to underestimate the significance of packaging. More often than not, marketers measure brand perceptions of the consumers and fatally ignoring the pack. Yet it is obvious from the reaction of the consumers to products that are not branded that packaging significantly plays a big role in reinforcement of consumer perceptions. Packaging therefore helps in driving the way consumers experience a product. According to (Rice and Hofmeyr, 2000, pg 216), little time is spent in carrying out research concerning the connection between direct experience and packaging of the product. Before assessing and challenging the current thinking in relation to packaging research and whether the research input suitably reflects its value as far as marketing mix is concerned, it is important first to assess whether packaging as a tool of marketing really commands more consumer attention. The important question that may then be asked concerns the relevance of packaging n the modern marketing world. Packaging therefore has several benefits in marketing and promotion of products as discussed; Reaching the target market There has been complexity and competitiveness of the marketing environment in recent years. Although most people would agree that advertising is a highly effective means of consumer communication, it has the limitation of reaching the whole target market for most of the consumer products. Fragmentation of the media has also meant that it is now becoming potentially expensive and difficult to communicate and reach customers thus compelling marketers to be innovative enough to reach their target market (Hill and Tilley, 2002). Contrary to advertising that has limited reach, packaging of a product is something that all consumers experience and has strong potential in engaging a big portion of the target market. This therefore makes product packaging an extremely unique and powerful tool in the modern day marketing environment. In relation to benefits of packaging in terms of reach, some marketers believe that it is basically more influential as compared to advertising when it comes to influencing consumers. This is attributed to the fact that it has relatively more direct impact in terms of perception as well as product experience. In most instances, the experience of the consumers has been that pack designs have a high potential of influencing the perception of the consumers about a brand than advertising. For products that command low support of advertising, packaging promptly takes on a more important role as the main instrument for communicating positioning of the brands (Rudh, 2005, pg. 680). Winning at the first and second moment of truth The dual role of packaging is what makes it a unique and outstanding marketing tool. Compared to other communication forms which have fleeting tendency, packaging plays a critical role both at the selling point and after the purchase of a product. Packaging therefore must provide consumers with the right clues and cues, both at the purchase point and during consumption. The first instance of truth concerns winning the attention of the customers and also effective communication of the benefits of the offer. The second truth moment is concerned with the provision of tools that the consumer needs in order to experience the attached benefits when utilising the product (Lofgrun, 2005, pg 113). The point of sale The significance of making a remarkable impact at the selling point cannot be assumed or ignored. A recent survey done in the United Kingdom by Point of Purchase Advertising Institute (POPAI) showed that about 70% of all decisions of purchasing are made inside the shopping center at the point of purchase. In regards to (Rice and Hofmeyr, 2000, pg 216), brand purchases are continuously broken or made in the critical final seconds. At the purchasing point, packaging performs so many vital functions, thus cutting through barriers to get the consumer see the product, market information communication, creation or stimulation of brand impressions and provision of various brand cues such quality, value and safety. Definitely, if packaging is not able to traverse the hurdles and catch the attention of the consumer then other related functions would not do much to attract the consumer. The most creative and brilliant packaging is meaningless unless it can be noticed. Therefore, the first and most important step in creation of a powerful and innovative shelf presence in order to make a particular brand to stand out from the rest and is actually noticed is the first and most vital step for any product on a shelf. As Perner (2010), the average modern supermarket contains over 20,000 items and on average, a shopping basket contains about 40 items. This demonstrates that consumers today have to ravage through so many variety of products in order to conclusively choose what satisfies them. It is not a surprise that while they sift through items, there is high chance of principally ignoring most of them. It also illustrated that a standard modern supermarket, a typical shopper or consumer passes on average 300 brands in a single minute (Rudh, 2005). This therefore demonstrates that a shopper takes less than a quarter of a second to view a single product in order to spark purchase. It has also been noted that even when consumers shops at a certain product category, lets say fats and oils, they actively view just about 30 percent of the displayed brands (Young, 2005, p1). So in order to generate consideration of a brand, there are two main things that come in handy thus; Shelf placement that ensures that a product is strategically placed on the shelf so as to have a wider view A unique packaging that ensures creation of a visual contrast as compared to products in its surrounding. This can be well achieved through product innovations such as the colour use, a unique visual signs, unique structure and shape and a strong brand and or logo. Packaging also plays a very significant role in product categories with low levels of involvement, for example, categories of impulse purchase such as chocolates. In such categories of products, shoppers are mostly driven by extrinsic cues and in-store factors for they don’t have the desire as well as the need to mount a thorough assessment and investigation of all the available offerings. Even in situations of higher involvement, most consumers have no ability, time and information to sufficiently assess all the merits and demerits prior to making a purchase. In effect, most of them rely on diverse cues, for example packaging and brand name in order to make purchase decision. In everyday experience, most product categories have a blend of customers with high and low levels of involvement. It is amazing that even categories that have been traditionally regarded as high involvement decisions, such as houses still have people who make purchase decisions without much consideration. Usage Packaging, unlike exposure through advertising which can be brief, fully continues to build the values of the brand during the extended period of usage of the product hence help in propelling brand loyalty and equity (Rudh, 2005, pg. 680). Functional role Packaging is basically part and parcel of the consumption experience. It is an influential means of providing necessary information and as such also forms part of the product thus provides functional benefits, for example ease of product usage, perfect fitting into space for storage and others. If packaging is not well undertaken it can then greatly hamper its relationship with the brand. For instance, if the packaging easily breaks, can cause injury to the consumer or can not appropriately fit in the storage space then the whole experience with the product from the consumer’s perspective is negative (Rudh, 2005, pg. 680). Brand identity and differentiation Packaging being the only portion of the marketing communication that benefits the consumer, it plays a major role in the reinforcement and communication of brand values. It has the power to create and also destroy brand relationships. A typical example of destroying brand relationship is a change in the design of the pack design that can sees drop in sales of consumer products such as beer. In case of beer, there are no changes to the product other than the packaging. The change in pack, which may not be so abrupt, can lead to a general perception that the quality of the liquor had been compromised and hence not of the same quality. Changes in packaging may cause loyal consumers to abandon the product and opt for another brand, which is a clear testimony of the power of poor packaging. Although consumers may quickly forget a non-appealing advertisement, on the other hand poor packaging may linger in the minds of consumers for a long time. Favourable packaging may therefore serve as a platform of continuous reinforcement of a brand’s appeal. Essence of packaging Packaging plays a significant role in product marketing. Appropriate packaging can adequately help a brand assume a unique niche in the competitive marketplace and also in the minds of the consumers. As shown by Coca Cola beverage products’ packaging, it can set in motion a brand further apart from its competitors and definitely makes it have a better reach. It therefore reinforces and promotes the buying decision both at the buying point and consumption or usage. As demonstrated by Coca Cola products, packaging of products in various serving sizes arguably uplift a product into relatively new markets by doing away with cost challenges. Packaging is also known to drive the brand choice especially when it comes to products targeting children (Young, 2005, pg1-13). As modern day market is witnessing stiff competition with limited shelf-space, products should uniquely stand out from the rest and hence packaging should provide more than traditional information and functional benefits. Under limited time, great pressure and during low involvement purchases, no substantial time is spent scrutinising looking product information and other details provided on packaging, which is true with the category of first moving consumer goods (FMCG). Need for targeting and positioning in packaging Targeting, segmentation and positioning are important stages of marketing process.  A product manufacturer should first determine the kind of customers, and then select which ones are the best in serving. This is achieved by product optimization and better communication, which is best done during packaging. Schematic views of the whole processes are shown in the figures below. Positioning as shown in the figure below involves implementation of the targeting.  Source: Lars 2010 Conclusion In conclusion, several studies done on packaging have found that different cues of packaging impact on the perception of the product. More often than not packaging is immensely perceived to be essentially part of the product and thus a big headache for consumers to distinguish them. Important aspects of packaging such as colour, graphics and illustrations and typography can hugely influence the perception of a product in the market. Typically, asking a consumer for overall preference as opposed deconstruction of attributes that are related to packaging will give more meaningful results. In light of this approach, huge companies with enormous capital for expansion such as Coca Cola have the financial power to achieve from time to time better match of the psychological process consumers’ decision making processes in modern marketing environment. Bibliography Cateora, P. & Graham, J. 2002, International Marketing, McGraw-Hill, New York, pg 358- 360. Hill, H. & Tilly, J. 2002, Packaging of Children’s Cereal: Manufacturers versus Children, British Food Journal, Vol. 104 No. 9, 2002, pp. 766-777. Löfgren, M. 2005, Winning at the First and Second Moment of Truth: an Exploratory Study, Managing Service Quality, Vol. 15 No. 1, 2005, pp. 102-115. Perner, Lars. Consumer behavior: the psychology of marketing. Marshall School of Business University of Southern California. Retrieved on 10 August 11, 2011 from Read More