Designing a Premium Package: Some Guidelines for Designers and Marketers

Abstract

ABSTRACTBecause a premium image is of critical importance for many A-brands in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) categories, it is important for both designers and marketers to have a comprehensive understanding of the package characteristics that can evoke such a premium perception. The present research integrates knowledge from design research and marketing research to enhance the understanding of the role of packaging design in shaping consumers' product perceptions. In two studies using water and chocolate as product categories, we demonstrate that designers should consider four premium cues (extraordinary differentiation, high quality of packaging materials, minimalistic design and authenticity) as important guidelines when designing a premium packaging. When these premium cues are implemented in a packaging design, consumers will recognize the product as a superior, high-quality product that is worth a higher price.KEYWORDS: packaging designpremium perceptionbrand image Additional informationNotes on contributorsRuth MuggeBiographiesRuth Mugge, corresponding author, is an Associate Professor of Consumer Research at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Her research focuses on investigating how product appearance influences consumer responses to new products. She has published on these topics in such journals as Design Studies, Journal of Engineering Design, Applied Ergonomics, British Journal of Psychology, Journal of Product Innovation Management, International Journal of Design and The Design Journal.Thomas MassinkThomas Massink holds an MSc in Global Interdependence from Leiden University and an MSc in strategic product design from the Delft University of Technology. At the latter, his graduate work focused on developing guidelines for premium packaging design. He currently works at Ampelmann Operations as a project engineer in the offshore energy industry.Erik Jan HultinkErik Jan Hultink is a Professor of New Product Marketing and the Head of the Department of Product Innovation Management at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. He received his MSc in economics from the University of Amsterdam and his PhD from Delft University of Technology. His research investigates means for measuring and improving the process of new product development and launch. He has published on these topics in such journals as the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, International Journal of Research in Marketing, International Journal of Design, Design Management Review, R&D Management, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management and the Journal of Product Innovation Management.Lianne van den Berg-WeitzelLianne van den Berg-Weitzel is Strategy Director at CARTILS Amsterdam. As head of the Strategy Team, she is responsible for translating developments in consumer behaviour, brands and branding into brand design strategies for international companies. In addition, she regularly gives lectures at different universities and academies, among them Delft University of Technology and the University of Amsterdam, and publishes in renowned international magazines, such as The Design Journal. From 2007 to 2011 she was member of the advisory board of the Netherlands Packaging Centre (NVC, www.nvc.nl) representing the branding and design area of the packaging supply chain.