Arrive Magazine - November/December, 2007

you don’t—your reaction is built into your DNA.”

Think about the first time you saw the Apple iMac, with its bright white box and clean jewel-toned words. Its simplicity may have suggested ease with a complex tool, or reminded you of the sleek, tony lines of a designer boutique or the blue skies and white sands of Greece.

“I argue that’s one of the reasons they’re so successful,” Becker says. “People will pay more for it, because it makes them feel cool.”

That’s also why you may be willing to pay $20 more for a bottle of vodka you’ve never heard of rather than a familiar

Quick(er)
change artist

PRODUCT:
Herbal Essences
hair care products

BIG IDEA:
Frequent updates can
lure new customers—
and keep old ones.

We get bored more quickly
today. Thus, Herbal Essences
has updated its labels twice
within about a decade, after
nearly a quarter-century
with the original bottle
and graphics.

label. “They’re selling you the experience of being at a chic party and drinking a martini made with a vodka that was carved out of ice in the depths of Finland,” Deal says. “If you put a beautiful bottle next to a consumer, they’ll say it contributes to the taste.”

Style Means Substance

Often the simpler the wrapper, the stronger its message. But don’t skimp on key features.

“The more you have to search for them, the quicker you get discouraged and move on to the next package,” Deal says. “If answers come quickly, you get a subliminal sense of accomplishment—

and a good feeling about the product.”
If an item is enduring, why mess
with a good thing? Because, like actors,
brands can’t afford to rest on an old
image. Perhaps a product shows signs of
age—or, worse, irrelevance to the target
audience. New competition in the cat-
egory may have decimated a once-popu-
lar line’s sales. Or maybe stockholders
are clamoring for greater profits.
Products must also keep pace with
shoppers who expect evolving trends,
like soda and athletic shoes. That’s why
Pepsi launched eight lively can designs
in February, all with the same logo and
gray and blue hues, but little else in
common. Every three weeks since, a
new background was added, for a total
of 35, reports Package Design Magazine.

“Today’s youth is preoccupied
with newness, discovery and person-

alization of their possessions,” says James Miller, marketing director of Pepsi-Cola North America.

In fashion and food, trends come and go. So those apple-green cookie labels emblazoned with “fat-free” and “sugar-free” have migrated to the Siberia of supermarkets—upper and lower shelves—while “ trans-fat free” and “organic” are buzzwords. “To compete, you’ve got to change the package and highlight different features,” Becker says.

Age greatly influences customers’ desires, says the World Packaging Organization. People 35 and younger value portability, parents prefer durability and seniors seek ease of opening. Indeed, 26 percent

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