Packaging and positioning of a product — common mistakes

In exam questions, be sure to link the concepts. For example, explain how specific packaging design choices (e.g., using recycled card and green colours) are used to achieve a specific perceptual position (e.g., 'the most environmentally friendly choice'). Use terminology accurately, such as 'heuristic', 'schema', and 'perceptual map'.

This is a common misconception. While protection is a primary functional purpose, packaging also serves crucial psychological purposes. It acts as the 'silent salesman', communicating brand values, attracting attention, and influencing purchase decisions through design elements like colour, shape, and imagery. In a crowded supermarket, the packaging is often the first and only point of contact between the brand and the consumer.

While planned purchases are less affected, shelf placement significantly influences unplanned or impulse buys, which constitute a large percentage of purchases. It also reinforces brand strength and can introduce consumers to new options. For example, placing a product at eye-level increases its visibility and perceived popularity, making it a more likely choice even for a consumer who is undecided between two similar options they had planned to consider.

No, they are related but distinct concepts. Positioning is the overall strategy of establishing a specific identity for a product in the consumer's mind (e.g., 'the safest car', 'the best value snack'). Advertising is one of the tactics used to communicate and reinforce that position. The product's packaging, price, and where it is sold (shelf placement) are other crucial tactics that must all work together to achieve the desired positioning.