Punch and fruity show

Redesigns of product packs are turning strategic in their desire to deliver the appropriate punch.

Look out! Packaging strategies have rarely been unleashed with such fierce regularity in India's FMCGs market. With the industry back in boom after years of dormancy, perhaps that was to be expected.

The strategies, however, appear to be getting sharper, as design consultancies and marketing professionals testify to their delight.

"It's helping us break clutter, pare advertising and above-the-line-expenditure and also push products deeper into markets, especially for categories that are not very big," says Saugata Gupta, head, marketing, Marico Industries.

Case in point: Marico's recent move to repackage its Silk n' Shine in a Rs 25 pack. "The sheer packaging strategy that allowed these smaller packs to be displayed on a hanger prominently helped us crack open the market and gave us huge visibility," he adds.

Parle Agro is pleased with its moves too. In an impulse-driven market, Parle launched Appy Fizz in a head-turning bottle designed to evoke affinity at first sight.

"We managed this, not because it was preceded by a heavy-duty ad campaign or mega event," says Nadia Chauhan, director, marketing, Parle Agro, "but simply because the trade was excited about the innovative drink that sought to add fizz to apple juice "" and, of course, the bottle package stood out and retailers were only too willing to stock the brand."

Observers will agree that the Rs 1,500-crore fruit drinks category needed a refresher of some sort, and it seems to have come in the form of a champagne-shaped surprise.

And these are just some of the reasons that marketers are reworking the strategic elements of package design.

Packaging can also be used innovatively to catch the attention of the non-user. Jyothy Laboratories, for example, is using packaging to test-market a new version of fabric starch under Ujala in Kerala.

The challenge is to pierce the price barrier, selling at Rs 3 for a pouch and Rs 30 for a 200 ml pack, and packaging must present the new deal.

The broad objective of such an exercise is "to make consumers understand the value the brand has to offer" at a glance, in the words of Sujay Nanvati, business head, Yellow Brand Consultancy.

HLL's Lux has used a pack design for its new variant Festive Glow to get the brand across to a less budget-constrained and more value-conscious consumer (who may not otherwise have given it another look).

"Brand renewal plays an important part in keeping a brand current, modern and alive," says an HLL spokesperson, "It has to have appeal and meet with current consumer tastes and requirements. HLL has always led in keeping up with consumer preference."

Wheel, Knorr and Annapurna are the other HLL brands that have played on packaging lately. "In a sense, product innovation and package innovation go hand in hand," adds the spokesperson.

Ashish Bhasin, director, IMAG, part of Lowe India, reports a flurry of package re-strategising in the FMCGs sector, where product penetration is key.

Says Parle's Chauhan, "We have sought to go deeper with Frooti by launching a Rs 2.50 triangular tetrapack. Similarly, we have entered the confectionery segment with the launch of Simply Imli that is currently being test marketed in Pune. The storage jars shaped like imli (tamarind) are a big draw."

Ashwini Deshpande, founder director and principal designer, Elephant Strategy + Design, adds that this aspect of the game is witnessing a big inflow of global talent, including "many players such as Landor and Wolfe Olins" that are adding vibrancy to the industry with their global knowledge and technology base.

"Finally," sums up Bhasin, "packaging design works as the first and final form of communication that the consumer reaches out to eventually."