Introduction
Nowadays, then, packaging really is the fifth “P” in the marketing mix.
No wonder, then, that getting the packaging “right” has become such a key element of the marketing
strategy for many companies when it comes to trying to ensure the long-term success of their products
in the increasingly competitive marketplace.
Neuroscience-Inspired Packaging Design
Part of the recent growth of interest in multisensory packaging design undoubtedly stems from the
potential utilization of some of the latest research techniques from the field of experimental psychology
and cognitive neuroscience.
Techniques promising here:
The implicit association test
Eye-tracking (especially when combined with other techniques such as word analysis)
The analysis of a consumer’s grasping behavior
Another area of rapidly growing research interest relates to the use of online testing platforms such as
Mechanical Turk and Prolific Academic. These online resources are increasingly enabling researchers to
evaluate the relative merits of various different packaging designs in diverse markets at low cost.
Cognitive neuroscience techniques can be used to evaluate the design of product packaging more
directly, that is, without having to rely on what the consumer says that they are going to do, or which of
a range of packaging design alternatives they indicate that they prefer.
Disadvantage: the majority of neuroimaging techniques generally tend to be too slow and too expensive
to utilize in most real-world commercial situations.
And while the neuroscience- inspired approach is unlikely to offer any design solutions in its own right, it
can nevertheless help to provide robust methods for discriminating between different (possibly quite
similar) design alternatives.
Packaging Color
Color is used by the majority of food and beverage brands in order to indicate the type/flavor of
product that can be found within.
In everything from carbonated beverages to pharmaceuticals, the color of the packaging sets
expectations about the properties of the contents.
Packaging color can also be used to capture attention at what some have chosen to term the
“First Moment of Truth”.
One thing that is especially interesting about the use of color in product packaging is that the
meaning varies by country and by product category.
The more saturated the color of the packaging, the stronger/more intense the taste/flavor of
the contents is likely to be. That is, strong, bold colors in product packaging generally signify
richer flavors and more intense taste experiences.
While marketers often try to establish universal or at least culture-specific meanings, it is
important to note that the meaning of color in the food and beverage category is often
Nowadays, then, packaging really is the fifth “P” in the marketing mix.
No wonder, then, that getting the packaging “right” has become such a key element of the marketing
strategy for many companies when it comes to trying to ensure the long-term success of their products
in the increasingly competitive marketplace.
Neuroscience-Inspired Packaging Design
Part of the recent growth of interest in multisensory packaging design undoubtedly stems from the
potential utilization of some of the latest research techniques from the field of experimental psychology
and cognitive neuroscience.
Techniques promising here:
The implicit association test
Eye-tracking (especially when combined with other techniques such as word analysis)
The analysis of a consumer’s grasping behavior
Another area of rapidly growing research interest relates to the use of online testing platforms such as
Mechanical Turk and Prolific Academic. These online resources are increasingly enabling researchers to
evaluate the relative merits of various different packaging designs in diverse markets at low cost.
Cognitive neuroscience techniques can be used to evaluate the design of product packaging more
directly, that is, without having to rely on what the consumer says that they are going to do, or which of
a range of packaging design alternatives they indicate that they prefer.
Disadvantage: the majority of neuroimaging techniques generally tend to be too slow and too expensive
to utilize in most real-world commercial situations.
And while the neuroscience- inspired approach is unlikely to offer any design solutions in its own right, it
can nevertheless help to provide robust methods for discriminating between different (possibly quite
similar) design alternatives.
Packaging Color
Color is used by the majority of food and beverage brands in order to indicate the type/flavor of
product that can be found within.
In everything from carbonated beverages to pharmaceuticals, the color of the packaging sets
expectations about the properties of the contents.
Packaging color can also be used to capture attention at what some have chosen to term the
“First Moment of Truth”.
One thing that is especially interesting about the use of color in product packaging is that the
meaning varies by country and by product category.
The more saturated the color of the packaging, the stronger/more intense the taste/flavor of
the contents is likely to be. That is, strong, bold colors in product packaging generally signify
richer flavors and more intense taste experiences.
While marketers often try to establish universal or at least culture-specific meanings, it is
important to note that the meaning of color in the food and beverage category is often
