Have you ever stood in front of two almost identical products and debated which one to buy? The chances are you have; almost all of us have at one time or another. There are very few markets today where your product will be unique; where you don’t have any competitors vying for customers. It is when price and product are similar that having a strong and recognisable brand becomes paramount.
Big brands know the importance of getting their labelling right. They know they need to build a strong brand image. They also understand that consumers are often swayed by packaging that appeals to them. This is why most are prepared to invest a significant proportion of their budgets into ensuring their products are presented in the best possible way.
As a smaller business owner you might not have the same budget as big brands; however you can still benefit from ensuring your labelling works for your brand and product.
Reflecting your brand
Building brand recognition is one of the most important ways of getting consumers to choose your product over others. Coco-Cola, one of the most successful and well-known brands in the world, is under no illusions about the part strong brand recognition plays in its success. A Coco-Cola Executive stated that: “If Coco-Cola were to lose all of its production-related assets in a disaster, the company would survive. By contrast; if all consumers were to have a sudden lapse of memory and forget everything related to Coco-Cola; the company would go out of business.”
While your brand recognition doesn’t need to be as far reaching as Coco-Cola’s; you can use it as an example of how to use packaging to constantly reinforce your brand to customers. In just the same way as all of Coco-Cola’s packing, from the shape of the bottle to the labelling, is designed with the brand in mind; you should also ensure all your packaging reflects your brand.
Choosing the colour scheme
Choosing the right colours for your label will help to reinforce your brand’s identity. It will also help to signify to potential customers about your company’s values and ethics.
Different colours can signify different meaning to consumers and the most common ones are:
- Red – active, emotional, passionate, trust, love, intensity, aggressiveness
- Blue – comfort, faith, conservative, understanding, clarity, confident, calm, trust
- Yellow – joy, alive, energetic, fresh
- Green – calm, relaxed, trust, peaceful, hope, nature
- Purple – glamour, power, nostalgic, introspective, mystery
- Orange – enthusiastic, creative, determined stimulates mental activity
- Black – bold, serious, luxurious
- Pink – sweet, love, warmth, nurtured
In addition to this; colours are one of the main ways existing customers remember the product they have previously bought, especially if they have forgotten the name of the product. Again take the Coco-Cola example; even if the company didn’t include its name on its product most customers will be able to recognise its products through its simple red and white colour scheme.
Sell yourself through words
The words you use on the label can be just as important as the colour when creating a strong brand image. While some of the information you include will be required by law and regulations, especially if it is a label for a food or drink product, the way you present this information will tell customers a lot about your brand and company.
A great example of a company that branded itself well through the wording on its label is Innocent Smoothies. While this smoothie drinks brand included all the necessary information on its labels, it chose to use words and language that were playful and cheeky; which made the brand stand out against the seriously worded labels its competitors used. This helped Innocent Smoothies to set itself apart as a brand; while also showing the company to be innovative; modern and carefree; all of which would attract its target customers of young, health conscious and urban consumers.
Select your labels carefully
While it might be easy to dismiss the type of label you use as having little to no importance; it can, in fact, have a significant impact on how consumers view your brand. Choosing a peel and reveal label, for example, will signify that you have a lot of information you want to convey to customers. A clear label will work well if you are trying to keep your branding simple and minimalistic. Alternatively; choosing a traditional label will suggest to consumers that your brand has old-fashioned values and ethics. If you want to show your brand as being modern and innovative; consider designing a bespoke label that will be unique to your company and products.
