How a CPG Marketing Agency Makes Products Stand Out
Three ways the best CPG marketing agency can design packaging to reduce waste, improve brand reputation, and drive attention and sales. Of course, a CPG marketing agency frequently has to help promote products that people might think of as fairly interchangeable. Choosing between some jars of mayo, bottles of ketchup, or boxes of laundry detergent might not seem like a big decision for most consumers. Thus, people may tend to choose the brand they’ve always bought or maybe, what’s on sale. Find out how a good CPG advertising agency can make products stand out on the shelves, so customers will consider them anything but ordinary. Three Ways a CPG marketing agency can differentiate products First, it might help to work with a consumer package goods design agency. Besides having experience with developing outstanding packaging, these professionals can provide a different perspective to help come up with novel solutions that are sometimes easy to overlook by people who manage these products every day. Consider three tested suggestions that packaging professionals might offer. 1. Make packaging more useful Making packaging more useful can provide a great way to differentiate a product from competitors. As just one example, Heinz simply flipped their bottle upside down in 2002, so it could rest on the lid instead of the base. Of course, most people find thick, rich ketchup challenging to get out of a typical bottle, especially when the container’s almost empty. After 170 years of producing ketchup, the company — or their packaging design agency — came up with the genius idea of flipping the bottle to let gravity lend some assistance. Apparently, this change caught the eye of consumers. According to CNN Money, sales increased by six percent in a year when overall ketchup sales only rose by two percent. 2. Ensure customers know how to use the product to its best advantage Is there something different about using a product that customers should know? Obviously, if consumers know how to make the best use of their purchase, they’re likely to return for more. As an example, Trader Joe’s sells a spice blend called, “Everything But the Elote.” Elote means corn in English, and the word suggests boiled, roasted, or steamed corn prepared in a particular way. Some people have figured out on their own that this blend can also spice up popcorn, all sorts of green vegetables, dips, French fries, and lots of other kinds of food. If Trader Joe’s would include these tips on their packaging, they might sell even more of this popular product. Besides promoting the versatility of a product, marketers might also consider including directions to get the best results for its primary use. Not only will these suggestions help entice customers, they’ll also ensure customer satisfaction and repeat sales. 3. Consider seasonal packaging Consumers tend to spend a bit more during certain times of the year, and a seasonally themed package can help get them to add certain kinds of products to their shopping cart. According to Brand Experience: Packaging, shoppers tend to loosen up their pocketbooks at these times, ranked in order of how much spending increases: Back-to-school, especially back-to-college Winter holidays Mother’s Day Easter Valentine’s Day Father’s Day As an example, let’s say Mom loves coffee. Loved ones may be more likely to add a bag or jar of coffee to a gift basket if it has attractive, themed packaging. Even better, add in a nice “World’s Greatest Mom” mug to provide extra value that can justify a higher price. Touches like this can also encourage retailers to include the products in a special display that will give them more visibility. For online sales, it gives distributors a chance to tag the product with seasonal keywords. Think about product and package size Sometimes, companies think that offering a jumbo package for a cheaper price will encourage sales. With perishable products, this can backfire. For example, pet owners may not care to buy 30 pounds of dog food for their seven-pound Maltese. They would rather pay somewhat more for a smaller package to avoid the waste of having to dispose of stale products. Also, some companies tend to package relatively large things in oversized packaging. Too much packaging wastes materials, generates excessive shipping charges, and may even annoy purchasers. These days, consumers have grown more concerned about the environment and frugality. To promote the best brand image, a why a CPG advertising agency may advise their clients to right-size packages in order to save money and appeal to buyers. Choose colors to create a quick, emotional impression The University of California at Irvine published a fascinating paper on the ability of colors to effect human emotional responses. Nature may have coded some of this response in people’s genes, as humanity evolved to associate certain colors with their natural environment. Beyond that, people have their own specific responses to various color schemes, based upon culture or even personality. As an example, many Americans might associate red and green with holidays. People don’t tend to react just to one color either. Instead, contrasting colors, image clarity, and even shades can make a big difference. Also, sometimes colors can even go out of style for a time. For instance, the 70s favored more earthy shades; however, brighter colors took over in the 80s. The importance of packaging for product differentiation Businesses invest a lot in developing their products. The right packaging can reduce costs, promote a positive brand image, and of course, increase sales. In contrast, poor packaging can waste money, hurts reputations, and turn off buyers.
Video Marketing: Keep Your Audience Engaged During COVID-19
Video marketing for business during COVID-19 can replace trade shows, keep customers engaged, and promote brand transparency. COVID-19 has spread to all 50 states and to almost every country in the world. Along with the pandemic, governments have curtailed business activities and cautioned citizens to stay home as much as possible. As businesses struggle to adjust to this new reality, they’ve had to rapidly adjust marketing plans to cater to very different consumer behaviors and their own uncertain futures. Uncertain or not, marketing has to continue or your business may not enjoy much of a future at all. Even if your have to operate with a tighter marketing budget, video marketing for business will provide you with a very useful tool and good potential returns for your brand and bottom line. How to use video marketing to help your company overcome the pandemic You may wonder if you have the funds to invest in video marketing for business right now. As your business environment has changed, you will probably find some other marketing items that you have to cut anyway. For instance, typical businesses allocate 30 to 40 percent of their budgets to attend trade shows and conventions. Since most of you won’t have the chance to travel anywhere soon, you might as well redistribute those funds. With that in mind, consider ways to make good use of your video content. Create a video for business trade shows In fact, you can work to replace those in-person meetings with virtual meeting via videos. For instance, if missing trade shows means that you also miss opportunities to connect with potential customers, why not host your own version of the event online. You can repurpose keynote speeches as videos, feature other speakers in their own videos, and host webinars to replace the meeting sessions you may have planned. Invite everybody who had planned to attend the original trade show and put out the word on social media. Try to engage online influencers, and if they’re big and enthusiastic enough, invite them to present their own video too. This is a good time to share resources and develop partnerships. You might actually draw a larger audience online than you could have in person, particularly if you record everything to let your audience either tune in live or later at their convenience. Keep in touch with customers During a crisis like this, your customers won’t find your silence golden at all. In fact, you’ll want to do more to ensure you stay on top of your customer’s minds. If like many other businesses, you’re struggling with suppliers and distribution channels, you can produce a video to explain why can’t deliver exactly the same kind of service that you’re customers have come to expect from you. Some other things that you should let your customers know could include: How hard you’re working to ensure employee and customer safety Any changes that might impact planned operations or scheduled events Details of your more flexible refund or cancellation policy in response to your customer’s needs In other words, you worked hard in the past to set your customer’s expectations. If you can’t meet those expectations, you can develop a video to explain your situation. In the midst of a global pandemic when over 20 million Americans have had to file for unemployment in just the last month, your customers will understand and appreciate your transparency. Still, since they’re all likely dealing with plenty of their own uncertainty, they won’t appreciate your silence. Keep customers and prospects engaged Lots of small businesses have gotten pretty creative with their videos lately. They’ve tried to cater to the needs of customers, most of whom have to stay home themselves. For instance, restaurants have started to produce cooking videos and fitness centers have uploaded at-home workout classes. Lego, the toy manufacturer, has started increasing its like of educational videos to help the millions of parents who are suddenly confronted with the challenge of home schooling. Your videos don’t necessarily have to sell your products or services; however, they should help to sell your brand. Local video marketing can enhance new distribution models Most retail stores have been forced to close their doors to customers because of the pandemic. Some of these stores had really not developed an eCommerce presence well before the outbreak. Still, they have creatively adapted online videos that can duplicate customers the experience of browsing around the store. Using these, they can take orders through their hastily developed eCommerce sites, simple forms, or even over the phone. Is video marketing for business effective? Zach Basner directs IMPACT’s video marketing strategy. As he put it, video offers the only digital way for people to see, hear, and even get to know you. It gives you an opportunity to make connections even when you cannot meet people in person. He also believes that small businesses should not concern themselves too much if they cannot access high-end video equipment during the crisis. While it’s important to produce valuable content that’s good enough for people to understand your message, you shouldn’t let the perfect become the enemy of the good-enough. If you need to choose between shooting your video at home on your cell phone or not producing video at home, use what you have. He also says that production companies may have also lost businesses and may be more willing to help edit those videos for a reasonable rate than they might have been in the past. Do what you can and seek help when you must; however, it’s important to get those videos produced and uploaded, even if they’re not as perfect as you would like. Basner also said that user-generated content tends to perform quite well on some platforms, so your imperfect production might blend in even better than a finely polished piece. Basner also mentioned that you might enjoy bargains when you’re posting video ads on social networks and search engines. Bids have dropped along with ad
Video Marketing: Still As Important As Ever
As we pass over into a new decade, video marketing continues to produce exceptional results for businesses around the world. In 2020, the overwhelming majority of industry authorities confirm that video marketing remains a key driver of advertising and branding efforts in the United States and around the world. Now in its sixth year, the annual State of Video Marketing Survey by Wyzowl determined that 85 percent of businesses currently use video as a marketing tool. These results show a 24 percent increase from 2016 when Wyzowl first included this question on its survey. Additionally, Wyzowl determined that 92 percent of marketers who use video call it “an important part of their marketing strategy.” Only 78 percent of surveyed marketing professionals agreed with this sentiment just five years ago. Video is popular Quoting figures from another longstanding annual marketing study by Promo.com, the independent online news source Grit Daily shows that the high value placed on video by marketers is fueled by a ravenous appetite for video among consumers. Grit Daily reports that, in 2019, 36 percent of the public watched two to five videos per day and nearly half of all people watched more than five videos per day. An astonishing 10 percent said that they watch “too many videos to count.” Summing the situation up, Promo.com CEO Tom More cited booming consumer demand for the flood of video content that businesses are current creating. What’s more, this trend is expected to continue into the near future. The digital technology company Cisco projects that global IP video traffic will account for 82 percent of all IP traffic by 2022, up considerably from just 75 percent in 2017. This represents a fourfold rise in total Internet video traffic over a period of five years. What, exactly, makes video so popular among consumers? Here are just a few reasons for video’s rise to prominence and continuing success in the modern marketplace. 1. Video is versatile From traditional commercial spots to informative presentations and “how to” videos, there is nothing that moving pictures can’t do. Consumers turn to the video medium daily for a range of practical and not-so-practical concerns. 2. Video is engaging and easy to digest It has held true since the Golden Age of Hollywood: when it comes to entertainment and relaxation, motion pictures just can’t be beat! Today, video gives viewers a welcome respite from the excess of textual information that seems to flow endlessly from every online website. 3. Video is accessible Anyone with Internet access or a wireless data plan can easily get online to watch a video with a single click of the mouse or touch of the screen. And businesses can easily supply video content to their target audiences thanks to incredible advances in video technology, both at the professional and amateur levels. Video is effective For all of the reasons listed above and more, businesses are turning to video in increasing numbers. The State of Video Marketing Survey reports that, of the 99 percent of video marketers who will continue using video in 2020, 95 percent plan to increase or maintain their spend. Even more remarkable, among businesses that don’t currently use video, nearly three out of five plan to launch their first video marketing efforts in 2020. The reason for this is simple. Video boosts your bottom line. 88 percent of video marketers report that video gives them a positive return on investment. This figure is quite striking in light of the fact that only 33 percent felt similarly in 2015. Examining the effectiveness of video from the consumer’s point of view, Grit Daily reports that more than 60 percent of Internet users visit a publisher’s website after watching a video, confirming that video’s ability to drive online traffic is simply unparalleled. Furthermore, nearly 60 percent of people stated that they “sometimes” remember a brand after viewing a video, and approximately 13 percent of people stated that they “very often” remember brands after viewing a video. Even better, video skews to a decidedly younger audience demographic, allowing businesses to reach consumers with disposable income who have proven exceedingly difficult to reach using traditional marketing channels and techniques. And thanks to modern digital analytics, the effectiveness of video marketing is amazingly easy to track and quantify. To learn more In light of the overwhelming importance of video marketing, wise companies will seek the guidance of a full-service marketing agency with considerable video expertise. Bigeye can answer any questions that you might have about everything from video planning and production to online video distribution and analytics.
Will 2020 Be the Breakout Year for Voice Marketing?
Chances are good that you’ve used Siri, Alexa, or a similar AI voice assistant over the recent months or years, but have you stopped to consider the tremendous potential of voice marketing? Leveraging the power of voice user interfaces such as Apple Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant, voice marketing is poised the become the next big thing in the worlds of digital advertising and branding. As the average consumer leaves typing, clicking, tapping, and swiping behind to embrace the future of hands-free, voice-activated computer use, wise marketers are quickly following suit. In the words of high-tech consultants Deepa Naik and Nikhil Karkhanis: “Consumers are adding voice to their shopping cycle using voice agents and interfaces like voice-enabled virtual assistants, voice search, and smart speakers. Brands and marketing professionals are finding innovative ways to respond to these newly opened channels.” The popularity of voice user interfaces Both in the home and the mobile space, a rapidly increasing number of people are interacting with digital devices and navigating the Internet using only their voices. In fact, according to the Pew Research Center and several other reputable sources, nearly half of all mobile users employ voice technology while operating their smartphone devices. And the growing popularity of voice user interfaces shows no signs of slowing or abating, with more and more people transmitting and receiving key information by voice/audio means alone. The leading global high-tech research and advisory company Gartner contends that 30 percent of online searches will be entirely screenless by the end of 2020. Gartner credits the ubiquitous use of portable and wearable audio components such as Apple AirPods and Echo Buds as well as household devices such as the Google Home and the Amazon Echo for the rise of screenless Internet surfing. Just how far will voice user interfaces take us in the near future? A recent study by Juniper Research predicts exponential growth in the use of digital voice assistants thanks to advances in the smart speaker, smart television, and smart wearable markets. Juniper expects that consumers will be using more than 8 billion digital voice assistants by 2023. This figure represents an estimated 2.5 billion increase from the number of digital voice assistants in use at the end of 2018. The marketing potential of audio content and voice-enabled devices So how can businesses tap into the incredible marketing capacity of voice user interfaces? Here are just a few tips ad tactics that you might want to consider. 1. Build a Custom Voice-Activated App Akin to the physical apps that you know from your smartphone touch screen, Alexa Skills, Google Actions, and Siri Shortcuts all allow users to connect directly with your company and its goods/services simply by speaking a few words. According to the most recent numbers from Amazon, there are more than 70,000 Skills currently available. 2. Launch a Podcast or Flash Briefing One of the great things about a podcast is that it can be both accessed and enjoyed through a single device using only your voice and your ears. No need to trouble your eyes or your fingertips for a thing, thanks to the voice user interface. Marketers also encourage companies to create and distribute flash briefings – short, prerecorded audio pieces that offer news and other informative content via one or more voice-enabled devices. 3. Invest in Sonic Branding. Although the rise of voice-enabled devices and digital personal assistants has recently reinvigorated this tried and true marketing approach, there is certainly nothing new about sonic branding. Encompassing any auditory element that might be described as a defining sonic mark or an audio logo, sonic branding has long been a common practice in traditional television and radio advertising. The three-note deodorant jingle “by Mennen” and the Apple computer boot-up chime immediately spring to mind! 4. Leverage the Power of Voice Search Optimization The art and science of getting your company to the top of online searches by your key consumer demographic, search engine optimization (SEO) has long been a (if not the) key component of any effective digital marketing campaign. In the era of spoken searches, voice search optimization (VSO) has evolved as a natural offshoot of traditional SEO practices. An investment in VSO is essential if you want to optimize your branding and products/services content for searches made using voice-enabled devices. To learn more For more information about the power of voice marketing in 2020 and beyond, contact a representative of Bigeye today. In addition to its status as a leading voice marketing agency, Bigeye can help you with all manner of digital outreach in the modern marketing landscape.
The Benefits of Testing Your Packaging Design
As high-tech digital analytics continues to rule the virtual marketing world, don’t forget to collect real-world marketing data including the valuable information gleaned from packaging design testing. Make no mistake: product packaging is integral to product sales. In fact, a recent study by the leading corrugated packaging company WestRock determined that more than four out of five consumers in the United States have tried a new product because its packaging caught their eye. Furthermore, 63 percent of consumers have purchased a product a second time due to its packaging appearance/aesthetics, and 52 percent of consumers have changed brands as a result of new packaging. With these figures in mind, businesses are universally committed to optimizing their packaging design. But how can you tell if your packaging is truly connecting with your key consumer demographic? Packaging design testing basics Briefly defined, packaging design testing involves presenting several packaging designs to your target audience and asking them to provide honest feedback on each of them. This feedback should ultimately determine which design is the most appealing to consumers and which design its most likely to encourage sales. By testing their deigns, companies are far more able to wrap their product in external packaging that both sets it apart from the competition and communicates its unique value in a succinct and compelling manner. Companies that incorporate testing into their general packaging design processes have solid data that can readily guide team operations and facilitate coordinated company decision-making. In addition to helping to bring brand new packaging designs to market, packaging design testing is key when optimizing or otherwise altering your existing packaging. The testing process is also extremely valuable when it comes to reaching out to new or alternative target audiences/consumer demographics. Types of packaging design testing Any good consumer marketing agency or packaging design company will tailor packaging design testing processes to meet the specific wants and needs of the client. In order to produce the specific benefits that are most important to their clients, these organizations may employ a wide range of techniques both in controlled study groups and in the marketplace at large. The venerable packaging products organization Performance Packaging of Nevada suggests A/B testing as an easy and inexpensive way to determine the better of two different packaging designs. This method of testing involves gathering together one or more test groups that are (hopefully!) representative of your larger consumer/audience base. Test group leaders present these groups with two packaging choices and then ask each group member to pick their favorite. Of course, this relatively restricted form of testing is limited when it comes to assessing multiple design variables (color, size, substance, etc.,). Therefore, depending on its particular goals, a company may choose other approaches to gathering feedback such as filling out comprehensive surveys or participating in thorough interview processes. Although careful sampling methodology can compile study groups that closely match larger target audiences/consumer demographics, there is no substitute for marketing testing in the field. This method is, of course, far more expensive, than study group testing, but companies can benefit greatly from releasing two or more packaging designs into the marketplace and then collecting data on which design the general public prefers. Getting the most out of your packaging design testing endeavors As we have seen, your ideal methods and techniques of packaging design testing will depend entirely upon your unique and specific goals. Do you want to ensure that your product catches the eye of the casual consumer as he/she walks down the supermarket aisle? Or is it more important that your packaging reflects the core attributes and values that consumers associate with your brand? After determining the aspects of your packaging that are most likely to influence your overall success or failure, you can develop packaging design testing procedures that are right for you. A key metric that you will certainly want to consider is purchase intent, which measures the likelihood that your packaging will motivate people to buy the product that it contains. Secondary metrics will depend on the specific results you hope to achieve and the marketplace in which you operate. These metrics might include appeal (how enticing your packaging is), relevance (how effectively your packaging reflects the wants/needs of your audience), uniqueness (how your packaging differs from that of your competitors), and ease of finding (how well your packaging stands out on the average retail shelf/website). For more information To learn more about the importance of packaging design testing, contact a skilled and knowledgeable representative at Bigeye today. In addition to excelling at the art and science of packaging design, Bigeye offers a broad range of comprehensive marketing services with an eye on innovation and customized service.
