Packaging Yourself to Better Mindshare

When I first visited Japan, I was in awe at the respect and the lavishness with which they treated their goods, even when I ordered just 3 tiny sweets filled with red bean paste. They were first placed in a transparent tray, which was then lowered into a exquisitely green coloured corrugated box with printed caligraphed flowers, and a sheet of soft green coloured tissue paper was placed on top before it was sealed. The shop assistant tied the box with a ribbon as the finishing touch. Only when these elaborate rituals were done was my small purchase placed in a similar design paper bag with a rope handle. You might say that all these papers, wrapping, cardboard boxes, ribbons will cause many trees to suffer a premature demise, but we cannot ignore the impact of such exquisite presentation and finishing.

When you courier your client or vendor a brochure or pamphlet sample, do you put it in your company’s envelope with the address label neatly printed? Or do you slip it in a used envelope, cross out the previous recipient’s name and then scribble the name of your client or vendor on it? Is it acceptable to do it this way? Yes, certainly, there is nothing wrong with it. Still, the presentation and impact on the recipient will be totally different. I respect clients who send us delicate materials like CDs in a padded envelope or photographs and films with a hardboard back, sealed in a polythene bag. Poor packing can cause time wastage. I had to request new product packs when those meant for photography arrived at my office bent and dog-earred. My award-winning print associate, Paul, has clear and specific instruction to his production crew that all printed goods must be packed in proper brown kraft paper or other clean, unused, unprinted papers. He will even print labels to stick on the brown packages so that we know which packages are for Europe and which are for Asia Pacific.

A client once told me, “If I see anything bronze brown, I know it’s from you. If I have brown packages in the storeroom, I also know they are from you.” Bronze brown is our corporate colour, and brown packages are the printed goods packed by my partner, Paul. By adding a little finishing touches, we increase our brand value and brand recall in our clients’ minds.

The seemingly unimportant little finishing touches are exactly how the big brand names make you fork out that little extra dollar willingly. Finishing touches are not just about packaging with the tissue papers, sturdy boxes, small little tags and big shopping bags. It includes genuine welcoming smile, friendly words and services, a glass of red wine or that bowl of strawberry and sugar icing, or sending a sales consultant to carry your purchases to your car.

[tags]packaging, finishing touch, brand value, brand recall[/tags]

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