This book by JGA Corp. is a virtual catalog of ideas for inspired retail design. It features work that is international in scope in innovative in content. These 1,000 touchpoints of brand identity include ...
By Dr. Elise L. Amel and Dr. Christie M. Manning
How can we connect with the consumer and "help them help us" change the way we serve society and impact our world? In this second article concluding a two-part series, we will look inside the mind of the consumer.
What are they THINKING?
The truth is, most Americans don't think about packaging. They buy a product, and then toss aside the layers of paper and plastic. In fact, the stuff they're mindlessly tossing aside has more power over them and more impact on the world than they might realize. Besides filling our landfills and polluting our air and water, packaging "features" influence buying choices and can confound even those with the best environmental intentions.
Research shows there is a disconnect between what people believe and what they do. If you ask Americans to list their values, they identify conservation and efficiency, freedom and fairness, equality and justice. But when you look at what they actually do, the values they live out tend to be cheapness and novelty, fun and fashion, comfort and convenience, "cool"-ness, and conformity (Source: Jim Farrell, St. Olaf College, The Nature of American Life).
Current packaging trends exploit this disconnect through features like perceived convenience (New! Convenient pour spout!), usability (New! No-drip pour spout!), and pizzazz (New! Bright sparkly pour spout!), as well as marketing tricks such as "Buy two and get one free!" and "Collect the whole set!" These strategies tend to override any intention the buyer may have had to consider sustainability. Until people truly walk their sustainability talk, the trick will be to serve both conservation and convenience so that, no matter what, people focus on the package will be environmentally sound.
As you can imagine there are many distinctly different mindsets when it comes to packaging. Understanding these distinctions can help us design sustainable packages that appeal to these mindsets.
The clueless
These folks are a critical group to sneak onboard as they tend to buy a lot of stuff. So the more sustainable the packaging the less impact they will have—despite themselves. Creative, "stealth sustainable" packaging can satisfy this group. For example, the refillable toothbrush that is packaged in its own travel container reduces the need for a second product, reduces what is thrown away, etc.
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