Packaging Communications: Choose Your Words Wisely

By Cris Lauer Aranda on September 24, 2015. Follow him on Google + and Twitter

Choosing packaging is the final step before your product reaches the aisle, so production samples and mockups are the last chance to add anything that may impact a customer’s shopping decision. Make sure that your wording, or copywriting, and the way it is displayed on the packaging structure captures the attention of your customers.

The myriad of options for wording and aesthetics are endless, but there are certain things from which you should steer clear. Keep these tips in mind during your packaging process, and contact us with any questions. After all, we have a bit of experience with with these things.

• Avoid confusing language. When composing your copy, try to be as clear and concise as possible, making your customers excited to purchase the product. Double-check spelling and grammar with multiple sets of proofreading eyes.
• Prioritize important product details. Deciding which details to include on your product packaging is never easy, especially when you are faced with limited space. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes: think about what you want to know about a product and where you expect to read it on the packaging when making the final selection. Make these details clearly visible.
• Make your brand name pop. Sometimes customers do not remember specific brand names, but remember the look of the logo. Brand recognition is vital to success, so make sure that your logo is large enough and displayed prominently on an area of the packaging structure that is easily visible to customers — even if they do not read it. Lastly, do not forget to leave room for important product details.
• Get tips from the past. If your company has successfully introduced other products to market, revisit the strengths of those experiences, as well as the weaknesses in a full SWOT analysis. Consider the latter and any memorable packaging themes when introducing a new product or modifying the packaging of an existing product. The consequences of doing otherwise can be disastrous — just ask Tropicana.