Let’s talk packaging and baseball. Doesn’t seem like the two have much in common, but they do. Think of brand packaging strategy like a coach would think of the next batting phenom in the box. At a minimum you want improvement in your numbers and at best you want a champion . . . and champions drive wins. 
How can packaging become your brand champion? Certainly, you hope to have recognition through advertisements and social media. But after that, your brand needs successful packaging just like your team needs wins. The strategy is the same, planning, performance, and the champion.
Planning
Before the season starts, the baseball coach begins preparation by training on the fundamentals of the game. Supply chain managers approach a new program in a similar regimented way by focusing on the basics which are necessary. Here are some basic considerations for a successful program:
- Retail Channel
- Specifications
- Testing
- Pricing
- Lead Times
Performance
A coach collects data and assesses whether a batter will connect with the ball in a split second come gametime. Using data, the coach will plan a strategy to increase the likelihood of favorable numbers. Similarly, packaging has to connect with shoppers at retail in a split second to drive sales. To achieve that, most managers will think about:
- Graphic Production Capability
- Brand Color Guidelines
- Retail Category Requirements
- Item Description Clarity
- Barcodes and Regulatory
But don’t we know all that already? Walmart has about 4500 Supercenters, detailed specifications, price targets, sustainability scoring, etc. For graphics, most brands have art guidelines and retailers may have specific category guidelines.
Yet within that framework, brands heading to retail need a visual wunderkind that connects with shoppers quickly. There are thousands and thousands of brands displayed in the sensory overloaded, visual chaos of shelf options at retail. Packaging is the passive advocate for your brand that needs a champion to articulate messaging to shoppers and increase margins simultaneously. How is the champion developed?
Building the Champion
The famed baseball aphorist Yogi Berra said, “Skills matter, but mindset matters even more.” Good supply chain managers plan and get performance. Brand champions in packaging are built with a more graduated mindset by addressing advanced rules of thinking:
- Does the graphic scheme simultaneously build brand integrity while targeting an expanded sales demographic?
- Does the message include a value proposition and product imagery?
- Does your supplier have retail marketing knowledge?
- Can your supplier effectively print an expanded approach?
- Are you utilizing the most economical production to strengthen margins?
- Can your supplier help you scale your retail presence?
- Are you producing with the most sustainable process in the market?
Unicorr can help you build a packaging champion with the recent installation of the latest printing and die-cutting technology in the region. We can produce color correct, litho quality, scalable packaging programs to help you build your brand and grow your business. With retail marketing support from our design team, let us help you meet your deadlines while strengthening margins with the most advanced equipment. Let’s build your brand champion!