Packaging as part of the marketing mix

From 1st October it will be a legal requirement for all packets of cigarettes to carry graphic pictures of the sort of damage that smoking can do to the body – rather revolting images if the example here is anything to go by, and definitely not something that is designed to encourage anyone to take up smoking. This is a far cry from the brand images that were used in the past before the ban on tobacco advertising, with pictures, colours and slogans all used to create an image of the glamour, coolness and attractiveness that each brand could give to the smoker. However the anti-smoking lobby wants the regulations to go even further and insist on plain packaging with no brand identification. They suggest that this would draw attention to the health warnings and avoid the distraction provided by branding on the pack – I assume that they would want the new pictures to be left there as well. 

What’s really in our food?

Where does M&S’s lochmuir salmon come from? How can you double the size of a chicken breast in 40 seconds? Does the chicken in a Birdseye ‘Great British Menu’ prepared meal come from Brazil, and would it matter to you if it does? Was a bag of ‘organic salad’ washed in organic water before it was packed? I am kicking myself for not having set the DVD recorder for this programme on BBC1 at 9pm last night. Initially it focuses on marketing techniques used to persuade consumers to buy food products through suggestion of the origin of the ingredients. Are the marketers clever, devious or unethical here? Later the programme moves on to a more serious investigation of food fraud - deliberate misrepresentation of the ingredients used in food products. Food scientists are, apparently, developing all sorts of techniques to hide the DNA evidence of what is in our food, but others are fighting back by using the same technology as that used to identify extinct animal special such as Tyrannosaurus Rex to identify the source of protein used in our food. Some of the opinions sought from consumers shopping in British markets are clearly manipulated by the producers of the programme to get a good old-fashioned ‘Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells’ response to what marketers might call imaginative promotion. Elsewhere there is evidence that fraudulent labelling is used to imply that products made from halal chicken actually contain beef and pork. If you missed the programme, it is worth watching on the i-player.

Snap, crackle and … crumbs? Are cereal boxes toast, now?

Sainsbury’s continue to seek ways to improve their green credentials, and to cut the amount of wasteful packaging on their goods. The Sunday Times reported that they introduced ‘milk-in-a-bag’ – polythene bags containing 2 litres of milk which can be transferred to a jug-style holder, and which have 75% less packaging than the rigid plastic bottles. Their next move has been to take some own-brand cereal out of cardboard boxes, and on Friday they introduced their own brand of Rice Pops in recyclable plastic packets similar to those used for crisps.

Kelloggs say they are considering doing the same, although Nestle have no plans to do so at present. A problem with the plastic bag for cereal is keeping it from being crushed either on the way to the supermarket or on the way home – but we manage to do this with packets of crisps, so presumably we can manage it for cereals as well. Reducing the volume of packaging is certainly to the advantage of the supermarkets, as it cuts the space used per pack in it’s delivery lorries so fewer lorries are needed, cutting both their costs and their carbon emissions.

Q&A - Where does packaging fit into the marketing mix?

Packaging is sometimes known as the “fifth P” in the marketing mix.  It is closely associated with product because it is in what most goods are delivered to the customer.

Hovis - a classic example of successful product extension

Premier Foods, the owner of a strong portfolio of consumer brands, has announced a 7% increase in grocery sales in 2008 compared with 2007.  One of the main contributors has been Hovis bread…

Farm diversification into ice-cream is not plain, vanilla process

Researching some materials for our revision toolkit for the OCR Applied Business Unit 3, I came across a really useful case study on farm diversification into ice-cream.