The package classifies the product

Clothes—despite the old adage—do not make the man; they classify him. Suitable clothes, besides protecting their wearer from the elements, enhance his personality. Good clothes help a man to create a favourable impression. They cause him to be singled out advantageously from his fellows. In the sphere of human competition becoming apparel increases a man's marketability. A package does not make the product; but it does give the product distinctiveness, attractiveness, identification, and a desirable and invaluable interest-compelling quality. The package classifies the product.

Recognition of the advantages of marketing products in packages has led in recent years to a revolution in merchandising, a revolution that any housewife whose memory spans thirty years and who can contrast the old grocery with the new delicatessen, has seen with her own eyes.

Thirty years ago she bought a dime's worth of pickles, five pounds of sugar, two pounds of crackers, and a pound of rice—all nameless, dished and scooped by the grocer from jar, bin, barrel, and box, and guaranteed only by his reputation as a retailer. To-day she purchases a bottle of "Heinz's" best pickles, a box of "Domino" sugar, two boxes of "Uneedas," and a box of "Comet" rice.

The housewife knows her purchases by their packages ; no longer are they nameless. She depends not so much on the reputation of the local delicatessen storekeeper as on the good name of the manufacturer stamped upon his package. The methods of merchandising have changed. Packages—small, most of them—have done the trick.

The purpose of packaging

Why is a mere container labelled, made attractive, given distinctiveness, or, in other words, why is a container made into a package? Briefly, the new method of merchandising has found packaging profitable:

• To identify the product with the manufacturer or distributor
• To increase the display value of the product
• To serve as a medium of advertising.

The order of these purposes represents a somewhat evolutionary development. The dairyman must have, and has always had, a container for the marketing of milk. This is not true of the manufacturer of personal toilet goods : Powder puffs, tooth brushes, and wash cloths. These goods were once sold almost exclusively unpackaged.

They lay on counters or in show cases exposed to dust, flies, and the not always clean handling of salespeople and shoppers. They became soiled and less attractive to potential purchasers. Then manufacturers of these articles discovered the value of packaging them.

To-day the box for a tooth brush and the envelope for a wash cloth fill almost as much of an economic need as the bottle for milk. The same is true of containers for fruits, boxes or wrappers for candy, and cartons for coffee. Each of these packages serves a purely economic as well as a sales need. This development, however, represents only the initial stage in the evolution of packaging.

Competition develops packaging

The next stages in the evolution of packages followed naturally and relatively quickly. That unheralded pioneer among candy manufacturers who first boxed his sweetmeats probably thought only of offering the consumer a cleaner, better preserved, more tempting product. He probably did not even place his name on the box.

But a competitor was undoubtedly quick to improve on the original valuable idea. He put his name or trademark on the candy box, candy became identified with its maker or with its distributor, if the latter thought first of placing his name on the box. Packaging had reached the competitive stage and competition spurred further development. It was, perhaps, an alert sales manager who conceived the idea of a novel or distinctive package design which not only identified the product with its manufacturer but which could be profitably and attractively displayed on shelves or in show windows and which at once became a valued medium of advertising.

It was then but a short step to the producing of the myriad of handsome candy packages—seductive, seasonal, and sentimental—which to-day colourfully adorn every sweet counter in the land.

What packages have done for the merchandising of candy they have done for thousands of products. The evolution has reached the stage where packaging has become a phase of the science of marketing and today the package requirements of a product are scientifically studied.

What the manufacturer requires of the package

From the viewpoint of the manufacturer, good construction is the first requirement in a package. The package must protect the product from injury and deterioration, and assure economy in packing and shipping. These considerations determine the material, the type of construction, and the shape of the package.

A manufacturer of rubber belting cites that the decision to package machine belts resulted in an appreciable elimination of waste by preventing deterioration. A well-known manufacturer of dry ice discovered that the merchandising possibilities of his product were greatly enhanced when technical experts were able to perfect a specially designed container making feasible the use of dry ice in preserving ice cream.

Progressive manufacturers now take the precaution of making scientific tests to determine the technical fitness of packages for protection of the product arid economy in packing and shipping.

The package fills a sales need

But the package must fill a sales need as well as an economic demand. To fill the sales need the manufacturer requires that the package shall in some way be identified with him. He places his name, or trademark, or both upon the package.

As an additional requirement of his package the manufacturer insists that it serve as a link between the family of his products. By merchandising his entire group of products in similar packages, varied only to meet the particular product requirements, the manufacturer may capitalize on the popularity of a single product in selling the others in the family.

He will find this plan profitable particularly in introducing a new member of his product-family, and often he will be able to economize in an advertising campaign by pushing one member of his family as a "leader" with reasonable assurance that the similar package-dress of the other members of the family will bring them also into the limelight.

What the distributor requires of the package

What does the distributor, that is, the jobber or wholesaler, require of a package? In the first place, it must lessen sales resistance. The package must be one that will appeal to the retailers whom the jobber supplies. Of course, the degree to which a package lessens sales resistance depends finally and largely, although not altogether, upon its appeal to the ultimate consumer. In this matter the jobber interprets to the manufacturer the requirements of the retailer, whose opinion, in turn, reflects the opinions of the consuming purchaser.

The jobber, nevertheless, has certain package requirements that are peculiarly his own and that apply probably more often to the packing crate or case than to the individual package. He demands that the package be of the unit size nearest that required by the average consumer whom the retailer serves.

The retailer likewise has his special package requirements. The up-to-date retail establishment must carry goods that please the customer's eye and stimulate his buying appetite.

What the consumer requires of the package

The elements demanded of a package are particularly important considerations. Consumer demands vary with individuals but there are three broad requirements that can be listed and that must be considered in the selection of a package:

• Appearance
• Convenience in handling
• Correctness of quantity, quality, and price.

How do these package requirements of the consumer enter almost unconsciously into the purchasing decisions typical of the average woman? When she buys toilet articles that will stand in full view on her dressing table, appearance overbalances every other package consideration—even price.

When she buys boxes of sugar and rice, and cans of vegetables and fruits to store in her kitchen cabinet, she is willing to sacrifice 'appearance for convenience in handling. Her requirements centre around quantity (smaller kitchens, and now kitchenettes, have introduced a demand for smaller packages), quality (if she is proud of her culinary accomplishments) , and price (especially if the unused allowance makes up her spending money) . But if the packages are designed to become a part of the table service, like many of the containers for liquids or certain cheese packages,. attractive appearance again becomes a major requirement.

What is the proper selling unit?

In deciding on the size of a package the manufacturer must settle the question of the correct selling unit. The nature of the product—size, shape, perishability, materials, and other unalterable characteristics—is the first factor determining the unit of sale. An automobile inner tube obviously cannot be sold in a pocket package. The size and shape of a toy determines the size as well as the shape of the package in which it is sold.

Certain foodstuffs which deteriorate quickly call for small packages so that they can be used up quickly. Extremely fragile commodities require containers large enough to allow safe packing. But certain products are not of a nature that dictates a certain size of package. Commodities such as candy, coffee, beans, rice, perfume or talcum powder, may be sold in varying quantities and other factors may determine the size of the package.

The price of the package

The price that the consumer is willing to pay, or is in the habit of paying, per unit of the commodity, is an important factor. A price should be set that will encourage the sale of the desired unit. One of the primary requisites is that the package be designed to sell in terms of some standard unit of coinage.

For products sold in the United States it is desirable to make the price 5, 10, 25, or 50 cents or a dollar. If the volume of export sales of the commodity is high, different unit packages may be employed for the foreign field with values in the terms and languages of the countries to be reached.

Packages selling at odd prices have not proved so acceptable. The amount that the consumer has been accustomed to pay for a similar and competing package is also a factor in determining the size of package to adopt, although this factor may be offset if advantageous reasons can be advanced to induce the consumer to pay a different price for a different package.

Furthermore, quantity has been overbalanced in many cases by convenience as a determinant of price and the proper selling unit; that is, the modern city housewife with a small family and small kitchen space will often pay 10 cents for a one-ounce package more willingly than she will pay 25 cents for a four-ounce package.

Local custom plays a big part in this consideration. The old-fashioned rural housewife with ample space in kitchen, pantry, and cellar, will naturally purchase larger packages of foodstuffs than her daughter who has moved to the city and has in her small apartment only a kitchenette and a none-too-large refrigerator.

The merchandising value of a package

Finally, in determining the size of a package the merchandising factors must be considered. Will a package of a certain size increase sales outlets for the product? Will packages of a new size serve as leaders? Are packages of very small sizes valuable for sampling purposes?

Smaller units of products in smaller packages often tend to widen the market for a product. They may open up new sales outlets. Prominent toilet-goods manufacturers, for example, have found it advantageous to make up special small-size packages to take care of the demands of five-and-ten-cent stores, a new sales outlet of tremendous importance.

Some organizations have found that it was profitable to make up a combination package of small containers of men's shaving cream, balm, and powder for vacation uses. The "guest size" of Ivory, Palmolive and many other soaps has undoubtedly created new sales outlets in hotels and clubs.

Package materials; the tin container

The selection of a package made of the correct material is important. The chief types of packages made from commonly used materials are: Glass, tin, tinfoil, cellophane, collapsible metal tubes, paper bags, cartons, paperboard boxes, and set-up boxes.

Glass is desirable if the sight of the product is in itself a selling factor, if absolute cleanliness is desirable, and if the producer or the consumer may wish to re-use the container after the contents have been consumed. Milk, vegetables of certain sorts, fruits, fruit juices, vinegar and medical preparations are packaged in glass.

Tin cans or boxes are often used in place of glass containers because they are less expensive. In many instances they are superior to all other kinds. If the product must be hermetically sealed a tin container is advantageous. Because tin containers minimize deterioration many manufacturers use this type for their export market and the cheaper paperboard box for the domestic market.

Tinfoil and collapsible metal tubes

Tinfoil has found its most extensive use in the packaging of cigarettes, cigars, and smoking tobacco. It has also been widely used in packing goods like candy and chewing gum to preserve their freshness. The outside wrapping of paper allows the employment of decorative designs and colours, the addition of trademarks, and the display of the name of the product and its make—to increase the merchandising value of the package.

Collapsible metal tubes, largely because of the factor of convenience, have won a wide popularity for packaging purposes, particularly for cream or soap-products in the toilet-goods lines. Tubes are practically unbreakable, easy to use and suitable for small quantities, permit product identification and can be automatically packed, sealed, and boxed.

Paper bags as package materials

Paper bags are used largely in grocery stores and delicatessen shops, but they have a wider utility. Department stores and chain stores have discovered that they are not only cheap and allow economical storage, but also that, by the use of distinctive colours and design, and suitable wording or copy, they can be utilized as packages of merchandising value for certain products. However, paper bags are only temporary and not permanent packages.

Cartons

Cartons for packages, as distinguished from shipping containers, are in wide use. The manufacture of package cartons is an industry with an output valued at many millions of dollars annually. Cartons belong to the paper-box family of packages. They are made in many types : Tight-wrapped, seal ends, lock ends, tuck ends, interlocking flaps, etc.

The chief advantages of cartons are the ease with which they may be manufactured in large quantities, the fact that knocked-down they may be shipped and stored with the greatest economy, their adaptability to many types of products, the ease with which they take printing or illustration, and their adaptability to automatic methods of packing products.

The adaptability of the carton to the product is well illustrated by the six-bottle package, an attractive container adopted by beverage manufacturers, that can be conveniently shipped, stored, and exhibited, but the top of which is converted into a practical handle for the convenience of the consumer who wishes to carry home six bottles of the beverage.

The use of the set-up box

Another important package belonging to the paperboard box family is the set-up box, a container specially designed for a particular and often an unusually shaped product, which permits the product to be displayed attractively in its package.

A well-known example of the set-up box is the Hickock belt package, which has made the belt a gift suggestion and may be seen in almost every haberdashery. The package for the Walworth Company's Stillson wrench is another striking example. Parker, Sheaffer, Waterman, and Wahl pens and pencils are now usually seen in set-up boxes, particularly in gift departments.

The use of the set-up box is indeed artistic packaging. It is a luxury package, but its merchandising value is tremendous. In the instances cited it has widened old markets considerably and created new ones.

The shape of the package

In deciding upon the shape of a package there are three major considerations, aside from the obvious one of whether the product will fit in the container : Will it stock and display advantageously on the retailer's shelves or in his windows? Can the package be handled conveniently? Will its shape attract favourable buying attention?

Regularly-shaped packages with flat sides and ends, of course, are best suited and most economical for stacking. Particularly in cities where space is bought or rented at high rates, if many products must be stacked and displayed, packages economically shaped to meet these conditions are in demand by retailers.

In determining the shape of a package the factor of economy of storing space is overbalanced, however, in some instances by the factor of convenience, particularly consumer convenience in handling. Round packages are undoubtedly easier for the consumer to handle than rectangular ones. When the Quaker Oats Company decided to pack its breakfast foods in round rather than rectangular cartons, consumer convenience was probably the dictating factor.

More rectangular or square bottles of ginger ale could be stored in the same space than cylindrical ones of the same contents, but a ginger ale bottle must be easily grasped in the hand. Jars of cold cream must not only make a neat appearance on milady's boudoir table; they must be of such a shape that she can easily get her dainty fingers in them. Bottles are often made "bottom-heavy" so that they will not tip over—a consumer convenience.

Novelty shapes

Many odd-shaped and novelty containers are seen on retailers' shelves with a contour chosen apparently to attract favourable buying attention. How much ease of stacking and consumer convenience may be sacrificed to this factor? A shape to attract favourable attention is sometimes considered of more importance than one providing greater convenience for handling and display purposes.

Products that find their way in their original containers to the dining table or the dressing table may sell better in novelty shapes. However, a unique-shaped package should be decided upon only with the utmost caution. After such a package has built up a market and is favourably associated with the product in purchasers' minds, it should be relinquished or modified only with equal caution.

The colour of the package

The three important considerations in deciding upon the colour of a package are symbolism, visibility, and psychology. Colours are symbols ; like words on a page or notes on a score they convey meanings. Red connotes warmth, affection, sympathy—and if it is bright, excitement; blue suggests calmness, coolness, reserve, distance ; certain greens are cool, restful; yellow is bright, warm, luminous, joyous.

The ideas that a colour suggests must be considered before it is used on a package. We instinctively associate certain types of products with certain colours, and completely dissociate those products from other colours. Tests have shown, for example, that orange, yellow and red are more favourably associated with coffee, in the mind of the consumer, than are any other colours.

Light colours are best suited for foodstuff packages. We think of black food as unfit to eat, impure. Similar tests have shown that certain colours and colour combinations are ideally suited to certain types of products and totally unsuited to others, and that certain colours make packages appear large and others small. A competent commercial artist should be consulted before the colour of a package is selected.

The psychology of colour

What colours and what colour combinations will attract attention? This is a psychological question. Harmonious colours will attract and hold the eye; inharmonious colours will repel it. Hence a manufacturer's salesman might profitably suggest to a retailer the proper placing of the manufacturer's packages on store shelves so that they stand out and their colours do not clash with those of other packages. Tests have been made to determine the attention value of colours. Orange, for example, seems to attract the attention of men most quickly, while red attracts women's attention more quickly than any other colour.

Package illustrations

What illustration should go on a package? Obviously, one should be used that will help sell the product. The nature of the product often determines the design. If the product in itself is attractive to the prospective purchaser a mere picture of it will often suffice. An illustration of the product ready for use, such as breakfast food in a bowl, may intensify the desire for its purchase. The illustration may be of an informative nature, showing a particular use of the product.

With the help of a trade character the use of the product may be dramatized. Another type of illustration is that of the product in its proper setting-dresses, suits or collars on the wearer, baking powder on the kitchen shelf. If the product is of technical construction the illustration may show some important detail, such as the design which makes a shock absorber effective.

What copy should go on the package?

The question of how much copy, or selling, advertising or explanatory text, should go on a package depends on how much can be said in small compass. There is not room to tell a long advertising story on most packages. If a product is well known, the name, in attractive design, is about all the copy the package requires. If a product slogan is also well known, this may be added. However, for little-known products concise selling copy may be effectively used on the package.

Certain products require directions for use. These instructions should be made as brief as clarity will allow. If it is necessary to elaborate on them an insert can be put in the package. Particular care should be taken with package copy; unlike advertising copy it cannot be changed frequently.

Package design

Shape, colour, illustration and copy make up the factors of package design, and must be considered in combination as well as separately in the choice of a particular package. The design should be distinctive; it must call to mind a single product. It must be easily recognizable and describable.

Package inserts

Aside from the package proper, there arises the question of the use of package inserts, a question almost separate from the use or selection of a package. However, inserts are a sales asset in some cases. They may be necessary to give detailed instructions on the use of the product, may suggest new uses, or may be a sample of another product in the same line.

The selection of packages

A final word must be said about the selection of packages. In selecting a package call in a commercial artist, an advertising specialist, and, if need be, a psychologist. Their suggestions will be accepted and applied but the final decision will be made only when the suggestions have been tested before that jury whose verdict is always right—the consumers themselves. The methods of making such tests can be suggested best by a specialist in marketing.

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