Packaging strategies for becoming a category leader

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Packaging strategies for becoming a category leader

2 Aug 2023

Joanie Spencer

Since 2008, Joanie Spencer has covered the retail and wholesale sides of the baking industry.
Serving associations such as the American Society of Baking (ASB) and BEMA, Joanie is also in demand as an industry presenter on bakery operations and trends. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Rockhurst University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

When she’s not running or playing soccer, Joanie spends her time with her husband and 11-year-old son.

ARLINGTON, VA — It’s no secret that packaging’s primary role is to protect the product, whether it’s for baked goods or something else. But the truth is that packaging protects — and expresses — much more, ranging from the consumer experience to the brand’s mission. From an operational standpoint, the right packaging setup can protect even more.

During a recent live master class hosted by EmergeCPG — a company dedicated to shortening the learning curve for early-stage entrepreneurs through access to industry leaders, 1:1 coaching and live monthly classes — a group of packaging experts shared advice on some of the most important packaging strategies and considerations for early-stage CPGs.

Hosted by Julie Pryor, CEO of Emerge CPG, panelists included Michele Sawyer, creative brand strategist at Sawyer Design Vision; John Gleason, president of A Better View Strategic Consulting; Kelly Williams, managing director of the packaging solutions division of EarthFirst Films; and Christopher McLaughlin, owner of the Tenfold Collective, a packaging strategy and design firm.

“Your packaging is the first point of contact with the consumer,” Sawyer said. “So, the impression that you make in those first 15 to 20 seconds is really important.”

There are plenty of consumer-facing considerations for packaging in terms of look, feel and design. And when a package must stop a consumer, hold their attention and close the deal — while also maintaining the product integrity — it’s a lot for an emerging brand to balance.

“Think about packaging as serving a number of functions,” Gleason said. “It’s protecting the product you’re trying to sell, it provides a shelf presence and it connections your brand to the mission and value proposition. Brands might want to think of packaging as an area where they want to cost save, but you have to think about how that serves your brand. If packaging is an area where you minimize, that might not be the impression you want your customer to walk away with.”

Gleason even suggested to think of packaging as a media vehicle that creates opportunities for to create or even enhance relationships with consumers.

In that regard, it becomes simultaneously the product’s protector, deliverer and advertiser.

“The bottom line is that you can’t sell consumer packaged goods without the package,” Williams said. “But it can become this complicated thing you have to figure out, and that can bring on a lot of anxiety.”

So, it’s important to think of packaging across a product’s life cycle, from processing through end use.

Points of consideration

There are four occasions where packaging can come under scrutiny for an emerging brand: new launch at retail, rebranding, additions of new SKUs, and entry into a new channel.

“During these occasions, it’s important to evaluate your current packaging to determine if it’s effectively serving both your brand and consumers or if it’s time to evolve,” Pryor said. “It’s important to understand how your consumers are using your product so that your packaging format makes it easier for them to incorporate the product into their life. It’s part of the overall brand experience and value proposition that you’re offering.”

For example, in a rebrand, packaging can play a critical role for an emerging brand, especially when the company is still developing the relationship and recognition with its consumer base.

“When thinking about doing a different packaging format for a specific purpose, it’s an opportunity to evolve your brand and think about the story you want to tell consumers through your packaging,” McLaughlin said.

Rebranding — especially when it involves changes to packaging materials — can be scary, specifically when thinking about making those changes at scale. Sawyer emphasized the importance of conducting research early on, especially in terms of consumer preferences.

“You also have to know where you want to grow and what stores and formats you want to grow into,” she said. “Because certain types of stores are going to foster experiences that come with things like texture and feel in packaging and branding.”

When looking at new channel entries, that can require a close look at packaging from an operational perspective. For an emerging brand, it could be unchartered territory, so it’s important to make those considerations before the entry happens.

“When entrepreneurs start with the majority of their business in e-commerce, and then get those opportunities in brick-and-mortar when they’re finally told, ‘We want you in 30 stores next month,’ it can be a scramble to get packaging,” Williams said. “That frustration comes from not knowing what you don’t know. You’ve got to think through what growth will look like for new channels.”

To prepare for that growth and understanding what the needs will be, Pryor suggested initial research including visiting stores in channels they want to grow into, such as c-store or club retailers, early on when the brands start gaining traction at retail. It’s important for not only a brand’s own operational considerations but also for a co-packer. Drastic changes in packaging can greatly impact costs and timelines when working with co-packers, so that early research could pay dividends in the long-term.

“What are the pack sizes on shelf?” she suggested. “Are there secondary merchandising opportunities? Are there pallets or displays you need to account for? Those data points need to be considered as part of your packaging design strategy and part of the conversation with co-packers — or within your own manufacturing facility — to make sure you can produce volume and configurations that you’ll need in the future.”

"The bottom line is that you can’t sell consumer packaged goods without the package." — Kelly Williams | managing director, packaging solutions division | EarthFirst Films

Making waves through digital tools

With the right branding, materials and messaging, packaging also becomes a means to disrupt — and become a leader in — a category.

“When you have a clear unique value proposition of where your brand wins vs. the competition coming to life via your packaging and marketing, creating an effective brand experience for your consumers, you can start to think about how to be a category disruptor,” Pryor shared.

McLaughlin has seen advances in digital technology that are becoming game changers for product packaging. Things like QR codes, digital embossments and stock varnishes are becoming more commonplace in the CPG market.

“Technology has evolved so quickly that things that weren’t possible six months ago are now doable,” he said.

Early adoption for high-tech packaging can be risky for an emerging brand, and McLaughlin advised entrepreneurs to remain diligent in their research and stay on top of how those trends are performing.

“If there’s something you want to do, keep pursuing it,” he said. “Go back and review it every once in a while, because as technology evolves, there’s more that can be done with things like digital printing.”

Planning for the future

Success often comes from starting small and planning big. And doing the legwork to prepare for those big changes in volume and packaging will help a brand get to those big steps while mitigating some of the operational chaos that comes with growth.

Part of that includes sizing an operation that can support redundancy. In fact, Williams suggested that redundancy — in packaging equipment and suppliers — should be a key factor in an emerging brand’s growth strategy.

“That means redundancy in your packaging, your suppliers, your co-packers and even your printers,” Williams suggested. “It’s worth the extra work on your end to prepare for that growth because it just becomes a different world.”

Williams calls it the “time-value of money,” as opposed to the traditional “money-value of time” mentality.

“There’s a precious value of the time you have to make decisions and execute the packaging,” Williams said. “Because time is really what you’re protecting.”

For more information on how Emerge CPG helps early-stage entrepreneurs, visit the company’s website.

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