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Forget the old saying "You can't judge a book by itscover"--at least when it comes to packaging a product. Forwhether it's spaghetti sauce, toothpaste or detergent,consumers judge products by their packaging all the time.
But the packaging that works in one country won'tnecessarily work in another. For small-business exporters, thismeans one thing: Forget the old axioms, and remember, it'swhat's on the outside that counts.
"Color is the most important issue in packaging," saysHoward Alport, principal of Lipson-Alport-Glass & Associates, adesign and identity firm in Northbrook, Illinois. Although it'shard to generalize, "red is a pretty positive color worldwide;gold usually signifies quality," says Alport. And while greenhas a healthy, low-fat connotation in the United States, it may notconvey the same message in other cultures.
After color, the packaging elements consumers remember most areshape, numbers and words, in that order. Preferences in packageshape and format (should you sell your toothpaste in tubes orpumps?) vary by region. Even shapes on a package, such as thegraphics you use, affect the impact of your package. "Peoplerecognize and remember packages that have unique shapes orstructures," says Alport.
Generally speaking, numbers and words should be kept to aminimum, as demand is increasing in many areas of the world toprint two or more languages on packages. If space is severelylimited, says Alport, consider employing symbols instead ofwords--a droplet symbol to convey moisture, for example. And, ofcourse, you need to investigate foreign translations of product andbrand names to make sure there's a fairly direct translation.(When Alport took a gift of Frango mints to a Brazilian client, hewas dismayed to find out that in Portuguese, Frango translated to"chicken.")
According to Alport, food product packaging tends to be moreculturally sensitive than that of cosmetics or personal-care items.So if you're exporting food, you need to be extra-sensitive toforeign consumers' biases.
Package size is another issue you must address. Keep in mindthat many overseas customers--buyers in Japan, Europe and LatinAmerica, particularly--don't have as much storage or freezerspace as we're used to in the United States and so prefersmaller packages. In these countries and others, home freezer spaceis typically limited to high-income families. Grocery stores, too,usually have limited display space.
When making packaging decisions, Alport advises exporters to"think globally but act locally." This means creating asystem of culturally diverse images that can be adapted to targetdifferent world markets. "Often when we design a food package,we leave space for the photography and allow each local market todecide what should go there," says Alport. "If you'reselling sweet corn in Japan, for example, you might show it beingserved on ice cream," a common practice in Japan.
Finally, cautions Alport, it's unwise to generalize aboutany country. What works depends on the individual culture, theproduct, the category and what the competition is doing. That meansresearch--and more research--is key to designing packaging thatwows your overseas customers. To assist you with this, contact apackaging expert by calling the trade office of the country orcountries you're targeting. A well-
informed expert will be able to help you with multiple countries orregions.
Do's And Don'ts
What packaging details win foreign customers' hearts--andwhat's sure to turn them off? Here are a few tips:
- Asia: Packages with a Western look and feel or an"imported" look, those with shrink-wrap, and packageswith handles are winners. Don't use dove imagery--in Japan,doves symbolize death.
- Europe: Think upscale. With highly sophisticated localbrands and fewer chains, imports must stand out as
super-elegant.
- Latin America: Warm, bright colors sell; culturally,Latin American consumers are more emotional than literal. Don'tuse black in Brazil--it symbolizes death.
- Canada: In general, what works in the United Statesusually works in Canada.
Contact Sources
Lipson-Alport-Glass & Associates, (847) 291-0500,halport@laga.com.
