We’ve done a bit of thinking/commenting on packaging lately. You can see one discussion in a CPG (FMCG, for Europeans) group here.

It should be obvious to anyone marketing through retailers* that packaging is the ultimate end of the dialog. It’s equally true that when a prospect sees you on the shelf, you may be literally surrounded by every competitor you have. Weak design will always end badly.

Self-evident as that should be, you don’t need to search hard to find poorly packaged performers who kill the sale. There are in fact companies who neglect this crucial area of branding, so competitors steal their lunch money.

*If you’re a B2B company who thinks you need not be concerned, you could be ignoring trouble. Bad design in your “final dialog” may not be a package on a shelf, but might be a proposal that looks hasty or sloppy or thin which gets eclipsed by a competitor’s slick presentation.