See me, feel me, touch me!

26 June 2008

The famous shape of the Coca-Cola bottle is an integral part of its identity. If you were blindfolded and somebody put one in your hands you would know the product immediately.

Launched in 1915, it is an unmistakable asset of the brand and a great example of how structure can bring a unique property to a product and differentiate it from the competition. It also authenticates the genuine article, there is only one Coca-Cola.

Pack structure enables a brand to stand out in a busy marketplace where shoppers take about four seconds to make their choice. Considering the shape as part of the design strategy is a way to instantly rise above the level of a commodity. Throwing away convention gives you the chance to start with a clean slate and to consider every part of the pack as a new delivery mechanism. It also gives marketers the chance to express the qualities associated with the brand in a three-dimensional way.

A well-developed structure should aid the use of the product itself and deliver a satisfying sense of use. For instance, the beautiful shape of the Ty Nant water bottle exudes a sense of origin and purity through form that vastly distinguishes it from the category set, which tends to rely on names and graphical imagery to assure us of a product’s origin. It stands out in a crowd of dull bottle shapes with labels telling us about every mountain spring under the sun. It rises above the category and becomes more than a commodity.

When Landor was asked to redesign the Nescafé premium instant coffee category, structure played a significant role. Working with design partners D3, we wanted to express — in the physical structure — some of the qualities and associations that coffee drinkers were seeking in their product. We wanted the new glass jars to position Nescafé as a modern, contemporary coffee that offered consumers a premium “at home” experience. We also wanted them to feel comfortable about having the jar in their homes — something stylish that reflected cutting-edge sophistication, a jar that helped transcend some of the negative associations of instant coffee.

Another example of a great idea brilliantly executed is the shark egg inspired bag that contains Speedo’s one-piece swimsuit. Imagine the missed opportunity if a box or some other less innovative form of packaging had been used. The shark egg expresses the uniqueness of the product in an entirely original way and reflects Speedo’s commitment to high-performance sportswear. It also overcomes the need for graphic labeling, the physical form says it all.

The Skyy vodka bottle physically embodies the brand’s position as an exclusive, contemporary alternative to the traditions of Russian heritage. It seeks to express a cool modernity through a beautifully understated bottle and white outer pack. Development takes time, commitment, patience, and money and involves a number of stakeholders. Providing a unique and long-term solution to a brand’s appearance is exactly what marketers should be doing if they want their products to become remarkable to consumers in those four-seconds.

We live in an image-saturated world where the law of diminishing returns applies to the visual and verbal. The opportunities to appeal to all five senses in the most direct and unmediated way, particularly with a tactile dimension, is the real packaging opportunity in the twenty-first century.

Mike Staniford
Executive Creative Director at Landor Associates (Australia)