Advertising Gurus extol the virtues of packaging updates – in a recent Gruen Transfer episode on the ABC the discussion turned to the government’s campaign to enforce “plain packaging” of cigarettes and tobacco products.
In the ensuing discussion about the pros and cons of the policy the experts linked the health and longevity of brands to the currency of the packaging. Said Dan Gregory, creative director of SMART advertising, the packaging did its job to greatest effect after the sale had been made and this was why the tobacco companies are keen to head off the government’s plans to introduce plain packaging legislation.
The consensus was that packaging is as important as the brand and without the packaging the brand eventually becomes overlooked or “invisible” if the packaging ceases to be relevant. The previously held belief that brand recognition was bound to packaging consistency is being overturned in a new era where fragmented media and short attention spans demand that we continually reinvent our brands and our product packaging to compete in the market place.