The topic of our thesis is Packaging Design as a Brand Building Tool and we are presenting the Scandinavian perspective. We found the topic interesting because, from a theoretical point of view, we identified a scarcity in research focusing on packaging design as a brand management tool, and from a practical point of view, we found out that businesses use packaging design at different levels in their communication efforts. Thus we wanted to provide both academia and business world with a clear picture to what extent and how businesses use packaging design in their brand-building process.
Therefore the aim of our thesis is to provide practitioners and academicians alike with a better understanding of how packaging design can be used to create strong brands in the FMCG sector in the Scandinavian market.
To reach the stated aim first we provided a solid theoretical background of packaging, its elements and its role in the marketing mix. Afterwards, we used theories from branding, brand communication, consumer behaviour and visual theory to establish our theoretical framework. Based on our framework, we posit that the role of the packaging design in the brand-building process of a company depends on, from a business perspective, the branding platform, and from consumer perspective, on the behaviour of the consumer. The framework helped us reach our aim by first, placing our research into the overall branding literature; and second, by framing our empirical research.
A qualitative strategy was chosen as most appropriate for fulfilling the research aim and purpose in the form of an exploratory study with elements from a multiple case study. This approach allows us to explore in depth the views towards packaging design from different perspectives and compare them to find the most prominent perceptions of the role of packaging design in the brand-building process of a company. Both in-depth interviews with experts from the FMCG industry and focus groups with consumers were conducted. This allowed us to grasp the opinions of all stakeholders involved in the process of designing and consuming a package. We gathered the empirical data from several sources: SCA Packaging in the role of the supplier/design agency; Beiersdorf in the role of the manufacturer; Jesper Clement as the representative of the academia; Retail House as the representative of the retailers; and finally consumers.
As a result of the interviews with the industry stakeholders, we found out that companies treat packaging design in three major ways - as a cost, as a marketing tool or as a brand-building tool. Depending on how they perceive and treat packaging, its role within the organisation varies from limited and supplementary in the communication process to well-integrated in the overall branding strategy. According to our findings using packaging design as a brand building tool means that packaging is integrated into the branding strategy of a company, all its layers (primary, secondary and tertiary) are used for brand communication, and it is used proactively to create and sustain strong brands. To become an integral part of the branding process, packaging is dependent on its design process. It should be simultaneous matrix process, the requirements of all stakeholders must be considered and the organisation needs to develop a joint category management program with its retail distributor to secure the shelf attractiveness of its products.
The design process itself needs to be internalised, entirely controlled by the organisation and to involve specialists fr...
