Packaging – the other 'P'

By Helen McIntee, director at the IMM Graduate School of Marketing

Fifteen years ago I conducted some research into packaging as the fifth "P" of the marketing mix, limiting my study to the cosmetics industry. The results were interesting in that I successfully managed to prove that packaging is so closely linked to the cosmetic brand , that it could not be regarded as a separate "P". Okay, I hear you sigh, so what's your point?

My point is that after fifteen years, marketers have apparently still not hit on the fact that "packaging" is a critical part of the product! It is well recognised (my research revealed) that many authors on the subject of marketing indicate that packaging is really the only piece of product information that every consumer sees. Nielsen's Shopper Trends 2005 reported that 60% of shoppers are "extremely susceptible" to impulse purchases and the average shopper makes 19 store visits in a month, with supermarkets visited twice a week, often two or three different supermarkets a month (AC Nielsen 2005). And whilst containment obviously remains the most fundamental function of packaging, over the years it has come to perform many other functions.

Consider the following functions:

• Protection from physical or environmental damage
• A source of information with regards to manufacturer, dosage, contents, usage instructions etc.
• Identification – the packaging enables quick and easy identification of the product at point-of-sale
• Security – e.g. tamper or childproof seals, authentication seals (to indicate that contents are not counterfeit), anti-theft / pilferage devices
• Facilitation – the very nature of packaging is to facilitate the usage of the product within, e.g. aerosol cans, easy pour spouts etc
• Storage of the product in warehouses, on shelves and so on
• Convenience, such as the "six pack" carry pack
• Marketing – packaging should be carefully thought out as a very effective way of advertising and communication with the consumer.
• But unfortunately, it seems that little space is given by marketing textbooks or syllabi, either examining or discussing this crucial part of the mix and, in real life, by active marketing departments. I feel fairly sure that proportionally the amount of time spent on the packaging of a product is probably fairly small when compared to logo design, brand awareness and advertising.

I decided to try and prove myself wrong and so opened up Philip Kotler's latest textbook and yes, there it is in the index;

Packaging pages 393 – 394!

A page and a half does not, in my mind, constitute nearly enough focus on the topic.

As marketers in one form or other, we are all aware that Product is arguably the most important "P" as without it no marketing would be necessary. However, with the dramatic increase in products and services available to the consumer, the subsequent rise in intense competition between brands and, most importantly, the propensity for self-service shopping environments, then it is the appearance of the product that has now become a critical influencer in the purchase decision.

In the marketing of services, we constantly emphasise the need to "tangibilise" the intangible. This means trying to display physical evidence of the service so that consumers can more easily evaluate a product they are unable to touch or see – this is in effect the "packaging" of that service and equally as important in the marketing mix.

Marketing as a discipline is fairly new to the world, but I believe it is old enough to necessitate a review of past theory and practice. The world of the 50s and 60s is no longer our current reality – so let's now add packaging to the marketing mix.