The true job of “packaging” (hint: it’s not just to wrap stuff)

Beg to Differ is focusing on a great blog post today by Seth Godin which asks a question we all need to ask ourselves: “does your packaging do its job”? But of course when Beg to Differ (and Seth)  thinks about “packaging” we don’t mean a disposable wrapper…

Image (uncredited) from sethgodin.typepad.com

Mmm. The Land of Chocolate.

Okay, I don’t always agree with Seth. Actually I almost never agree with him when he talks about product naming (Squidoo?!?) or brand architecture (Apple’s  iMac / iPod / iPhone convention sloppy?!?). But today he’s dead on in his assessment of the packaging for the chocolate product above, from the company Madécasse (pronounced mah – DAY – cas).

Now, you may look at it and say to yourself: hey! That’s not bad. It’s actually really well designed. And you’d be right: it’s a simple, elegant design that looks like craft-made – and probably expensive – chocolate. And again. You’d be right. You’d also be right if you noticed the effective use of repeated elements across the packaging, the solid little icon, and the nice differentiating touch of the little ribbon tied at the top.

You might also guess that this is fair trade chocolate. And again, you are a smart reader.

All very nice. All very professional. Yay.

So what’s wrong with a nicely-designed package?

Nothing wrong. That is, there’s nothing wrong *if* the design also helps customers to find you quickly in a store full of high end chocolate bars – which is where these bars would be most  likely to be sitting.

Nothing wrong. If your attractive design doesn’t actually act like camouflage – hiding you from their eyes.

Nothing wrong. If your design doesn’t also hide the fact that your product has a very different story (Madagascar chocolate! Made in Africa by Africans!) that could create an emotional bond – if only people could see through the wrapper to you.

Nothing wrong. If you listen to Seth for a moment:

I don’t think the job of packaging is to please your boss. I think you must please the retailer, but most of all, attract and delight and sell to the browsing, uncommitted new customer. – Seth Godin

How about you?

When you think about all the “packaging” around your product, service, or person-brand, are you just following the “nice design” conventions? If so, your package may be actually hiding you from your customers.

Instead, think about how the outer packaging acts as a transparent window to the really important differentiators that for the heart and soul of your product.

Or in Seth’s words:

And like Seth did, I’ll end by wishing you a happy Valentine’s Day. Why not celebrate by sharing a fair trade chocolate bar with someone you love? Even if it’s not well-packaged and clearly differentiated (yet), it’ll make you feel great!

Last week, we asked whether or not GM would be able to “go the distance” after creating a huge buzz surrounding the “What is 230?” campaign for the Chevrolet Volt (still not as good as 330). Since then, GM has done little to ease our minds. The foray into Internet marketing lacked information, timing, and a target audience. We’re still not sure why a teaser campaign was run with at least a year to product launch – you can tease, but don’t be mean (see Ad Age article).

We’re watching you eagerly GM, but not as eagerly as we’re watching your spinoffs.  Saturn is pulling the auto industry into a postmodern era, and being downright human about it.  And of course, we’re very curious what Magna and Opel are up to. Good luck GM, let’s see how long you can juggle all those brands.

Links

Ad Age article re: GM 230
Motor Trend aritcle re: a postmodern Saturn
BrandJam, August 13 re: auto tag lines and Saturn tweets
#BrandJam is live on Twitter
Saturn on Twitter: @lisagilpin & @tomfolger
Brand Strategy Boot Camp, Ottawa, Ontario, August 27

Last Saturday, my brother Brent and I ran and rode OC Transpo buses all over Ottawa. Along the way, we (over) acted in soap opera, skateboarded, played croquet, danced around stripper poles (no nudity involved – this year), and ate really, really gross stuff. Not a normal Saturday for us or the more than 900 other participants – but all part of the fun in the Ottawa edition of the Mitsubishi City Chase urban adventure series. Which got me thinking about brands. Surprised?

My brother Brent and I still looking fresh(ish) at the beginning of the day.

Modeled on the same idea as the “Amazing Race” reality TV show, the CityChase is positioned as a ”One-day Urban Adventure Challenge”. “Chasers” (as we’re called) are given a clue sheet at the outset, then have to choose between 10 challenges or “Chasepoints” spread throughout the city. And challenges can range from whitewater paddling to rapelling down a building to eating bugs or other stuff with a high “ick” factor. Chasers can only use foot-power or public transit, and are allowed to use cellphones or smartphones with no limit on the amount of help you can get. This is the third year Brent and I have entered, and it’s a riot.

But since this is a blog about brand strategy, I’ll offer a few thoughts on CityChase branding and marketing.

Brand elements that work:

The name. “CityChase” is a great name. It’s descriptive enough to give you a strong sense of what it’s about (“Chasing” around a city), but the unusual term “chase” lends it enough character to a) force you to think about / explain / start a conversation about it, b) create a memorable impression, c) act as a strong, ownable trademark, d) create natural insider language (GO CHASERS!), and d) lends itself well to sponsor extensions – Mitsubishi here, Samsung and National Geographic overseas.

The logo: like the name, simple, strong. The arrow icon won’t win any design awards, but its placement on the right side of the wordmark, along with the small opening on the right create just enough distinctiveness to allow the organizers to use it as a repeated design element (as in the shirts above).

The sponsors: because it appeals to young, fit urban types 25-45 years old, and because the whole day is about combining fitness, fun, and technology, there are a huge range of opportunities to highlight sponsors in a way that doesn’t seem forced or unnatural. And do I fee better and more in tune with the Mitsubishi and BlackBerry brands after spending a day with them? Yeah. I do. 

Local exposure: but even better, because the Chase sends us out into urban retail areas, small local brands are able to highlight themselves and draw new people in. Would I normally walk into a Strip Fitness studio? Not on your life. Will I tell my friends about it? You bet.

The promise: It has been summed up by organizers as “you can expect a day of adventure”. And indeed, that’s what we get year after year. For the more competetive, it’s about moving fast, mapping a route, and strategizing. For the average Chaser, it’s about getting out and pushing the boundaries – testing yourself in different ways.

Brand elements that need attention:

Web site & social media: For a brand that’s built for a high-tech savvy audience, the Web site is pretty clunky, and the Social Media efforts are getting better, but need to be better coordinated as part of the experience. For example, while there are 1100 members of the relatively active  MCC Facebook fan site, on Twitter, @citychase has only 215 followers. Why? Because a) they don’t follow anyone back, b) they only use it as a “mesage blast” medium, not as a conversation among co-enthusiasts, and c) they don’t use the opportunity to live tweet or hold CityChase themed TweetUps between events. 

Logistics: two years in a row, after waiting several days for the results online, my brother and I have had our ranking assigned to other people. Last year we were 11th, and this year 12th, so we’d love to send the link to friends and family (and further extend the brand!), but this looks like we didn’t finish. We’re coming back next year, but these kinds of problems make it difficult to be unqualified in our praise.

I need to be less clumsy: I think the annotated picture below says sit all.

News item from last year in Philly – does a good job of explaining the Chase.

Check it out! Microsoft with an advertisement that I might actually WANT to watch?! Sounds crazy, no? Sure, it doesn’t have Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates (not sure what was going on there) but it is current, edgy, and even goes so far as to poke fun at the ‘Soft! Whether you’re a Microsoft junkie, or just a casual Word user, this ad is for you.

BUT – this drifts so far from Microsoft’s current lineup that I wonder if it is able to add equity to the brand, or whether it confuses an already crowded space. The ad DIFFERS for sure – it differs greatly from the competition, but also from Microsoft’s other advertising campaigns.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Is Microsoft turning over a new leaf? Increasing the brand’s reach and value? Will it remain online, or will Microsoft take the campaign to cable TV as well? Will it matter?

http://www.office2010themovie.com/

The City of Toronto has been quietly running a campaign to re-brand Toronto.ca. The city is asking for thoughts and suggestions from Torontonians, but from what I can see, this effort has been minimal and fruitless. This ain’t the way to run a city or a Web site – or a brand.

Our quibbles with Toronto’s new site:

The “re:Brand” comments section of Toronto.ca is difficult to find and has recorded a total of 72 comments in the four months it has been open – each of which is limited to 300 characters. The one change that has occurred in those four months is the addition of a refreshed homepage: a fancy new shell placed over the same links that immediately divide users instead of including them.

But those are just mechanical problems. The real problems are at the brand level. So without pretending to be web designers, here are a few comments from a brand strategy perspective when branding a city – or any place with a government – on the web.

The three rules of city branding:

1. Thou Shalt Truly Engage people.

Make your city as colourful, lively, current, and even (gasp!) as much fun as possible. Draw users into your city. Show it off with engaging photos, highlight current news, and make it real with links to local people and events. While I admit they have a heck of a one-time pull, Vancouver.ca is an excellent example of a web presence that engages users with a uniquely interesting pull: the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. While the site focuses on the main event, it also serves as a hub and a showcase of current information and events.

2. Thou Shalt Actually Communicate.

Marshall McLuhan would consider the web a hot medium – one with the ability to engage people with various forms of information (videos, photos, text, audio) in two directions. Use the website to its full potential by engaging users in a dialogue. Connect through vehicles that users are comfortable with (email, phone, live chat, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). The City of Edmonton has created a portal where people from Edmonton, Canada, and around the world can share their stories of the city. EdmontonStories.ca is a good start, but remains relatively unidirectional. The City of Winnipeg has taken this concept a step further, and is looking to engage users in an open dialogue, both with the city representatives, and amongst each other.

3. DIFFER or Thou Wilt Be Completely Irrelevant!

Hold a unique position in the minds of consumers – tell me why Toronto is not Montreal or Ottawa or Calgary. Decide what makes your citybrand interesting and different from all others, and focus your brand promise around that core. Stratford is a city with one of the best differentiators in the country – a theatrical festival and culture that is known from coast to coast. And what phrase is displayed across the top of their homepage? “Stratford – Community excellence with worldwide impact!” A phrase that has absolutely nothing to do with the city’s top attraction and major differentiator. As if to apologize for the error, a much smaller logo appears way down the page in the bottom left-hand corner (left), and at least alludes to the theatre which gives the town its character.

Some examples from other Canadian cities

Best city branding:

Useful tag lines:

Not useful tag lines (at all):

Worst tag line: