Neuro-packaging: The Neural Mechanism of Packaging

You’ve probably seen a store with a new package of chocolate that caught your eye, and you might have picked it up to check it out. There’s a good chance you might end up buying it. That’s because clear and attractive packaging grabs attention quickly—usually within 30 seconds. If the packaging doesn’t stand out, it risks being ignored.

Packaging isn’t just about holding the product; it’s an essential marketing tool. It’s often the first thing customers notice and use to judge the product. Good packaging helps a product stand out and encourages people to buy it. It creates the first impression and catches the consumer’s eye. Neuro packaging is a marketing science that applies neuroscience to understand how packaging influences the brain. Experts use neuro-marketing to design packaging with psychological triggers like color, shape, and images to attract customers and convey messages.

Neuro packaging focuses on more than just visual appeal; it also considers customers’ sensory experience. For example, colors play a significant role in influencing perception. Yellow, with its high wavelength, is eye-catching and stimulating. Think of the classic yellow packaging of Lays chips—it grabs attention. Each color affects customers differently, so marketers must choose colors that match their brand’s personality. The shape of the packaging also affects customer perception. For instance, when Sanpellegrino changed its bottle from a curvier shape, which suggested sweetness, to a taller, sharper shape, it was perceived as more sour or bitter.

Sensory elements play a crucial role in packaging. For example, a smooth and soft surface often conveys luxury, while a rough texture suggests a natural quality. A study published in the Journal “Food Quality and Preference”, titled “Smooth or Rough? The Impact of Food Packaging Design on Product Healthiness Perception,” found that smooth packaging is linked to a perception of healthier food. Understanding packaging psychology is vital for product companies, and neuromarketing research can provide valuable insights into customer preferences and design packaging effectively. For instance, Tropicana experienced a $30 million loss when it changed its packaging from an orange with a straw to a glass of juice image, highlighting the importance of effective packaging design.

Sanpellegrino has revamped its packaging by removing the foil overlay from its cans. The company intended to eliminate plastic packaging to promote sustainability, but consumers perceived this change as cost-cutting, leading to negative sentiment on social media.

This reaction can be understood through the salience theory or the salience effect. According to this theory, people focus on and remember specific elements that shape their perceptions. In this case, the foil overlay was seen as a unique and memorable feature that enhanced the consumer experience. The foil protected the product from contamination and provided a sensory experience when unsealing the can. As a result, the new packaging failed to capture attention in the market and did not resonate with consumers.

The cans on the left feature the old packaging with the iconic foil overlay, while the tall can on the right represents the new packaging without the overlay.