Packaging Strategies: Color as the Point of Difference

Designers rank color as the No. 1 component for recognition of packages on store shelves. Shape ranks second. Icons rank third, and words are last. With that much importance placed on it, color gets a great deal of consideration when marketers determine how brands can get the most impact from packages and stand out on store shelves.Color on packaging also is a complex issue, and general guidelines such as those discussed in this article form a framework for assessment. Factors such as the nature of a package's target market, distribution channels, and branding strategy may demand a certain color for packaging. Any decisions should be tested to see how they resonate with your particular target market.With that caveat, there are some commonly accepted insights on how people react to color. Some recent in-depth research looks at color on a global basis. It identifies connotations of color and ranks the popularity of colors around the world.The world's favorite colorsHere are some world-view highlights on color from a recent study:Blue is the most popular color worldwide. Purple is the world's second most popular color. Its popularity is growing, particularly for women's products. In English-speaking countries, some 21% of people say it is their favorite color. Yellow evokes a connection with the sun, with happiness and with warmth. Black is associated with anger and aggression.These findings come from a study conducted by three research organizations with a global reach: Cheskin, Redwood Shores, CA; MSI-ITM International, Amsterdam; and CMCD Visual Symbols Library, San Francisco. Titled, "Global Market Bias: Part 1. Color," the study is based on almost 13,000 interviews spawned from an online survey. (The full study is attached at right.)The research underscores the ability of color to define a brand, an attribute that is often strongly related to a brand's packaging. Some of the findings in the study were what might be expected:BMW and Mercedes are black.Marlboro and Coca-Cola are red.McDonald's is yellow and red.Levi's, Microsoft and IBM are blue."Our study showed that color associations with brands are fairly strong around the world -- the stronger the brand, the stronger the color definition. Coke will always be red, regardless of where you live," the report states. It goes on to say that the time and money spent in associating a color with a brand is well spent and suggests that marketers should, "pay attention to the brand's color to attract global consumers."The report offers general insights into the meaning of colors, and also examines the differences in perceptions in the Far East. The researchers found that Chinese, Japanese and Koreans are often at odds with each other in their perceptions. China, interestingly, is often more aligned with Western countries than with its Asian neighbors. Among the examples of different color perception in the Far East are:Chinese associate blue with power and reliability, while the rest of the world is more likely to perceive blue as more benignly happy. Chinese see red as being about power, prestige and happiness, while for the rest of the world it evokes strong feelings of excitement and danger.Koreans associate blue with freshness and innovation, and connect red with the future and technology.Packaging Colors in AmericaThe U.S. falls in line with much of the rest of the world's color perceptions, yet specific connotations have developed among packaged goods over the years. Black may signal anger and aggression in other parts of the world, but U.S. marketers have had success in using it for packaging designs to signify quality. In food packaging, Breyer's ice cream broke new ground a decade ago when it opted for a black background on packaging for its premium ice cream. It continues to use the color today, and has inspired a host of imitators.Consider Hormel and its use of black for a line of microwaveable entrees. Each package contains about one pound of entrees like Beef Tips with Gravy. The product comes in a black plastic tray surrounded by a paperboard sleeve that carries marketing messages. Hormel uses a black background on the sleeve as a "frame" to surround graphics. It also uses metallic inks to create a gold-stamped look that contrasts with the black and supports the value proposition. Hormel claims leadership in the category, within which another major player, Tyson, uses a white background on its packages.The Hormel product line is significant because it is on the leading edge of a new category -- quick-heating, quality entrees -- emerging to meet consumer lifestyle needs. Hormel has earned exceptional shelf display, often commanding a full upright cooler positioned as an endcap. In providing that level of display, food stores recognize the product as a high-visibility, high-volume item viewed by consumers as high quality. Mike's Hard Lemonade represents another "black" package in the food and beverage categories. Like the Hormel product, it uses other colors to enhance the quality connotation that black delivers. It has yellow accents to amplify the impact of black.One WorldIf the U.S. differs from the world in its use of black, it falls right in line with purple. That color is carving out a niche as a "woman's color" here and elsewhere. In recent years, a range of products that includes health-oriented foods is using shades of purple to signal that they are intended for women. However, no brand has claimed it as its own. (Editor's Note: Procter & Gamble has arguably done so in the OTC realm. See Related Articles.)One example is Quaker Oats' Nutrition for Women line. Stocked in the cereal department the brand's packaging uses a purple block as the dominant color behind the logo. It also uses a purple "sweep" as a background.Likewise, green generally has the same soothing connotation in the U.S. that it does in other parts of the world. It also plays a key role for food brands, where it most frequently is associated with healthful products. The Healthy Choice frozen-food brand from ConAgra relies on green as its characterizing color. Packages carry deep green backgrounds. The brand's web site strengthens the color connection by using the slogan, "Green is Good."Another category in which green is emerging is financial software. QuickBooks relies on a green theme for its packaging, and others are beginning to follow. H&R Block is using it on some software packaging, after adopting a green block as a logo. The company's migration began on signage about five years ago, when it adopted a green block as a logo; at that time, research began to find the soothing connotation of green.Color on shippersA trend in recent years has been the use of color for corrugated shippers. These boxes, which hold the primary packages as they are shipped to stores, historically had been the natural brown of the paperboard used to make them. However, the U.S. market has moved toward mass merchandising, where the emphasis is on selling volume. In that retailing environment, the shipper often becomes either the unit the consumer buys or the display in which the product is merchandised. The Quaker State brand provides an excellent example of using color as a marketing tool in the mass-merchandising environment. Shell Oil Lubricants owns the brand, and realizes that in many mass outlets, consumers buy by the case rather than by individual quarts. To appeal to that shopper, cases of Quaker State Motor oil have what the industry calls "wall-to-wall" printing. Ink covers the entire surface in color. The objective is to add shelf impact.ForecastsWhere are colors going? One indicator comes from the Color Marketing Group (colormarketing.com). Its members are designers who prepare an annual forecast of the colors they believe will be dominant in the future. The forecast encompass colors used in fashion, home decor and consumer goods including packaging for those products.For 2006, the Color Marketing Group sees these colors as important for consumer goods: Diamante Silver: This is a move toward creating a "technology look" through a new metallic that has lighter, brighter attributes. Ignorange: This hybrid color modifies traditional orange based on Asian and Indian influences. The worldwide color survey cited earlier notes that orange is a color that suggests excitement. Night Sky: This is a violet-to-black-magic color that suggests a changing atmosphere. Sona: With various golden hues and finishes connoting luxury around the world, this color builds a consensus for all cultures. As such, it could find a place in packaging for the luxury goods that continue to grow in the market. Tech-Tile: This color revives bronze with warmth and femininity.These colors respond to several drivers that the Color Marketing Group sees as influences. Among the factors they see is the growth of luxury available to the masses. The group also sees the need for depth that adds energy and excitement in colors.Using the Product as SourceFor some products, the source of the color is the product itself. This is particularly true in liquid products such as household cleaners, hand cleaners and other personal care categories. One of the more interesting examples of the dynamics involved comes in what I call the category of "New Age" dishwashing soaps. Colors such as watermelon and lavender quickly separated new brands from mainstream products such as Dawn and Joy. The newcomers to the category -- from companies such as Method Home Products and Stonewall Kitchen -- teamed the new colors with striking shapes to carve a place in the market. But the mainstream products haven't stood still, and the range of scents and colors they now offer is expanding on supermarket shelves.One of the classic examples of using product color to establish value is in Quaker State Synthetic Blend motor oils. The company opted for a clear plastic bottle. That lets the transparent, honey-colored motor oil show through, signaling the product's quality.The Digital ImpactThe importance, and the global dimensions, of color underscore the need for marketers to be sure they have the tools to manage it worldwide. That applies to both packaging and point-of-purchase materials. Even for brands that do not have a global reach, it is important to assure that color is consistent, package-to-package and press run-to-press run. That requires tight controls. It also means assuring consistency of the output when different vendors supply various components.The ability to control multiple vendors in multiple locations lies within the realm of what is called the "digital workflow." Today, graphics materials, including those for packaging, are increasingly distributed in digital files, and the technique not only speeds up work, it also adds new dimensions to quality control.A key element of interest to marketers is the issue of virtual proofing. The systems allow online, accurate viewing of the many rounds of proofing that are part of the package printing process. In 2004, a number of improved systems were introduced that offer advantages in better controlling the color of packages.If anyone does this well, it is Procter & Gamble. Last year, the company introduced its Pantene line for "women of color." It employed a bronze tint on bottles, closures, caps and spray pumps and demonstrated an amazing consistency in execution. The production processes are different for each component, yet P&G is able to achieve the same color over the entire package. That reinforces the brand identity created by the other promotional tactics P&G uses to sell the brand.

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