Packaging Life: Cultures of the Everyday by Pramod K. Nayar - Source Quotations.

'High-end consumption - or conspicuous consumption, which is not about necessities, but about lifestyle - is increasingly possible to the consumer through a democratisation of comfort.' (Nayar, 2009: 47)

'Comfort is the cultural logic of mass manufacture, marketing and consumption, while luxury is the cultural logic of niche manufacture, marketing and consumption.' (Nayar, 2009: 47)

'Humanity is intimately linked to material culture and the objects that constitute material cultures. That is, objects are central to the formation of humans as subjects because we are engaged in a relationship with them.' (Nayar, 2009: 48)

'Material objects have a deeper meaning than simply utility for their users...people give meaning to material objects.' (Nayar, 2009: 49)

'Goods posses meanings that are dependant upon their appropriation by the users. Material culture, therefore, is not simply about things and objects. Rather, it is about the intimate connection between the object and its users. Issues of style, fashion, aesthetic appeal are not properties inherent in particular objects, but the result of a social and cultural evaluation of these objects.' (Nayar, 2009: 49)

'Necessity is embedded within the cultural rhetorics of lower incomes and even poverty. Luxury, at the opposite end of the scale, signifies massive wealth, but also taste.' (Nayar, 2009: 50)

'Douglas Holt (1997) has argued that consumption almost always occurs within 'cultural frameworks' - of taste, ideology, aesthetics and efficiency.' (Nayar, 2009: 50)

'The marketing and consumption of eco-products and nature is within a cultural framework of environmentalism.' (Nayar, 2009: 50)

'No product can now be marketed as simply ' necessity' - it needs a little extra something.' (Nayar, 2009: 51)

How to Innovate in Marketing (Collection) by Various Authors - Source Quotations.

'Companies that successfully differentiate their brand from others in their category can maximise prices to what the market will bear.'  (Reece et al., 2013: 34)
  
'The cost to produce some cosmetics is minimal, and even after adding the cost of expensive packaging and marketing, the profit is substantial.' (Reece et al., 2013: 34)

'Companies percieved to have the highest level of product or service quality, service excellence, and/or luxury create a very loyal base of customers.' (Reece et al., 2013: 34)

Unique brand positioning and effective marketing strategies reinforce their leadership position.' (Reece et al., 2013: 34)

'Consumers value quality, convenience and service on some items and they don't mind paying a premium when they perceive equitable value in return.' (Reece et al., 2013: 34)

What is Packaging Design? by Giles Calver - Source Quotations.

'In the early days, packaging's role was essentially utilitarian. It aided the efficient distribution of merchandise and presented products in an attractive manner.' (Calver, 2003: 6)

'With the prominence of branding, packaging if often the living embodiment of a brand's values and personality. Time and effort is spent defining these attributes and traits, understanding consumers' perceptions of them, and then manipulating packaging design to communicate them.' (Calver, 2003: 7)

'Packaging design plays a pivotal role in ensuring consumers' perception of the brand is mirrored on the pack.' (Calver, 2003: 7)

'Consumers make a brand purchase just as much as they make a product purchase.' (Calver, 2003: 7)

'For many years certain types of packaging had a role beyond the purely functional. Packaging has become something to value in its own right, something to be displayed because it has a certain cachet.' (Calver, 2003: 8)

'Packaging acquires an importance disproportionate to the product itself.' (Calver, 2003: 8)

'Prestige brands offer the best quality in their class, the notion of quality being rooted in a cultural myth about quality.' (Calver, 2003: 22)

'The bottle of Coke and the memory are inextricably linked, so much so that the bottle - the packaging - has become symbolic of the brand and the experience. (Calver, 2003: 44)

'The packaging becomes a manifestation of the brand itself and, because a brand is more than just the product itself, the packaging becomes a compound of consumers' perceptions, memories and feelings. In effect, a brand becomes a compound of "tangible" and "intangible" values. (Calver, 2003: 44)

'Every market sector behaves in it own way and, over time, this behaviour can result in strong visual language. Some people call this language "sector cues."' (Calver, 2003: 54)

'Brands exist in particular competitor repertories, and these act as the frame of reference within which each brand operates.' (Calver, 2003: 54)

'People have indefinitely different needs and desires. Partly these needs and desires are fuelled by the sheer abundance in our lives.' (Calver, 2003: 58)

'Consumer individuality has resulted in the development of niche markets...each niche market has its own idiosyncrasies and understanding these in fundamental to the design process.' (Calver, 2003: 60)

'You must understand what emotional and rational triggers the target market will respond to if you are to create packaging that communicates a powerful proposition.' (Calver, 2003: 60)

'Environmental concerns affect manufactures and retailers alike. For many they now form part of their corporate responsibilities.' (Calver, 2003: 62)

'Recycling affects packaging design because it influences the choice of materials.' (Calver, 2003: 62)

'Choosing recyclable substrates is approaching the issue from the other end and is often favourable: using recycled substrate is an easier way to demonstrate one's environmental credentials than using a substrate consumers can't recognise as good or bad for the environment.' (Calver, 2003: 64)

'The role of packaging designers in the great environmental debate will aways be influenced by the client, by cost, by individual responsibility, and ultimately the brief, because the brief encapsulates the commercial imperative behind any design project.' (Calver, 2003: 64)

'Material selection is important in controlling consumers' perceptions of a product - both initial perceptions and more considered appraisal.' (Calver, 2003: 112)

'Perceptions can be manipulated through the look of a piece of packaging through the way it feels in the hand. Most people instinctively associate certain attributes - such as quality, elegance, youthfulness, exclusivity, and trendiness - with certain looks and sensations. (Calver, 2003: 112

Different types of materials all coalesce into an impression of a product.' (Calver, 2003: 112)

'The finishing of a piece of packaging can communicate the exclusivity and value of a product.' (Calver, 2003: 112)

'The process of unwrapping the product heightens consumers' expectations and suspends the pleasure of buying or receiving it.' (Calver, 2003: 112)

'There are times when you look at a piece of packaging, or feel it in your hands, and you absorb feelings of quality, exclusivity, refinement, and luxury.' (Calver, 2003: 154)

'Each is used to manipulate consumers' perceptions or engage their senses so that what they see and feel communicate the right message.' (Calver, 2003: 154)

How Much Value Can be Added Through Packaging? by Dik Warren Twedt - Source Quotations.

'The container had to assume a far greater part of the sales burden - in short, it had to be transformed from a mere container to a second generation package.' (Twedt, 1968: 58)

'The potential contribution of a superior package to profitability is simply too great to be ignored.' 

(Twedt, 1968: 58)

'Differences in package excellence are directly translated into corresponding differences in sales 
appeal.' (Twedt, 1968: 58)

'Attitudes toward the same package may be altogether different - depending on such factors as age, education, income, previous experience with the brand, recommendations from friends etc.' 

(Twedt, 1968: 59)

  
'Packages, like people, have definite personalities. Various combinations of design element such as shape, texture, colour, typography, illustration, packaging materials - all contribute to the "Package Gestalt."' (Twedt, 1968: 60)

Study Task 05 - Target Audience Research - The Luxury Consumer

In order to create designs that capture the fundamental requirements of meeting the needs of the target, understanding of their personage is imperative. This means gathering knowledge on the geographic, demographic and psychographic contributing factors that allow for specialised strategic engagement.

In recent times it is reported that the luxury industry has perhaps lost some of its lustre, with 2014 seeing Prada’s third-quarter profits down by 44% and  LVMH (French multinational luxury goods conglomerate responsible for Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Givenchy and many others) sales growth having slowed down considerably. While there are several potential contributing factors to this, one in particular is more responsible for the sectors recent short-comings: the luxury consumer base has changed. Once a market claimed by the older lady, the sector now serves a more youthful cohort of affluence, bringing tremendous growth opportunity for luxury brands to evolve with the changing market.

The New Luxury Consumer

The key to understanding the luxury consumer is undoubtedly becoming more complex, as where there was once only one typical luxury consumer, there are now many different types - each wanting unique things from luxury brands to satisfy their individual desires. The new luxury consumer is defined by the following factors:

1. Income - The luxury consumer sector was previously dominated by the super-rich elite of societies, and while this demographic still represent an integral sector and the majority of luxury consumers, they are no longer the only market for such goods - with consumers from the middle classes now making up a significant and rapidly growing segment of the market.  

While these aspirational consumers may not have the funds to afford a £10,000 bag, they can afford a £300 purse for example. As a result, luxury brands are now identifying the importance in catering to these less wealthy but more ubiquitous consumers with one set of products, whilst also providing more exclusive, limited-edition products for the super-rich.

2. Age - The luxury market, once pioneered by relatively older consumers, is now opening up to younger, more aspirational personage. While the more mature following are still very much in the picture, younger consumers, especially Millennials, are becoming an increasingly large share of the luxury market. These millennial consumer has developed strong social justice values, and are extremely online and social media savvy, resulting in alternate expectations regarding their brand relationships - expectant of a seamless experience between online and offline consumption and of an ongoing dialogue with their most favoured providers of luxury.

3. Gender - The luxury consumer of past times was more than likely female, however, rapid growth in male apparel and grooming categories are beginning to provide balance to market. 

4. Geography - Luxury consumers were previously typically more exclusive to America and Western Europe, though is now a truly global market, with some of the biggest growth coming from emerging markets in Asia - creating new distribution demands for luxury brands. This has led brands to expand their global presence in motives for optimal market yield, with Louis Vuitton opening stores in countries as far ranging as Mongolia and Nepal for example.

Closer to home, the luxury consumer was most typically found in the south of the country, close to the epicentre of fashion and design - London - and while this is still the case for most as a result of this part of the country's acclaimed concentration of stores, brands are beginning to identify opportunities to gain presence further north. 

5. Trends - Luxury consumers crave fashion discovery and finding the next big brand. While luxury used to be synonymous with exclusively classic pieces, it is now often positioned as modern and trendy while still offering classic looks. For example, Burberry, which has made a concerted effort to push into a more fashion-forward space in recent years, still relies on its classic trench for much of its revenue.

6. Value - Luxury goods are most typically valued because of their emphasis on craftsmanship and the intrinsic value of the brand, and while this intrinsic value continues to play an important role -especially to Millennials - there is an emergence of consumers (mostly in emerging markets) that prefer theatrics of glamour over classic craftsmanship.


In the wake of these changes in market and consumer variants, luxury brands have a choice to make -either to pick one sector of the market and serve it exceptionally well or adjust the strategy and business model to serve multiple targets of the market simultaneously. The expectation is that many companies will choose the latter as it provides the most seamless path to continued growth, however this route also comes with additional complexity. This requires different products at different price points in different geographies. 

Though this emerging complexity may challenging for the luxury sector, it also provides luxury brands with the opportunity to reinvent and extend their practices. Primarily, it will be these brands that differentiate themselves from competitors by engaging and providing for all their key consumers, which is ultimately what separates luxury brands from the rest - this being the ability to personalise and customise to fulfil the niche desires of this target. 


Target Personas

01 - Henry (British)

Henry, 25, lives in Clapham, London with his middle-class parents who funded all educational expenditure, from boarding school to university, and has therefore avoided student debt. As an established graduate - now working in the city in the field of investment banking - he has strong career prospects and aspirations with an already higher income than is typical for a man of his age. This, in addition to having no rent to pay-out, means Henry has disposable income. Though not enough to buy a house, his disposable income allows him to save while still being able to splash out on the luxuries his lifestyle requires, all of which can be found on London's famous shopping streets - such as Regent Street, Bond Street etc. A conservative young man, Henry takes interest in world economics, high-end consumption and politics. In his free time he plays polo, continuing his sportsmanship from education, and also enjoys weekends away skiing in the French Alps with his small circle of friends. 

02 - Anastasiya (Russian)

Anastasiya, 30, is the wife of an extremely wealthy Russian oligarch, living in a Knightsbridge (London) townhouse - when not residing in any of their other properties around the world or alternatively, yachting. Residence within this exclusive postcode puts her within close proximity to perhaps the highest density of haute couture stores in the world - Bond Street - allowing for heavy consumption within the one of the world's largest fashion and design capitals. A lady of leisure thanks to a generous allowance from her husband, Anastasiya enjoys lunching with a very exclusive group of 'girlfriends,' pampering sessions, socialising and entertaining amongst other high-cultural activities. Above all she is interested in luxury products and services, from fashion to interiors, only available to the super-rich elite in a perpetual endeavour to own what others cannot. Anastasiya nor her husband have an affiliation to any UK political party.

03 - Deborah (British)

Deborah, 55, is a driven, ambitious and financially independent middle-class business woman based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Divorced and with all children having now left home, she is now at a point in life that has allowed for her to become more selfish - indulging in more luxurious products and services which she could only at one time aspire to. Having come from humble working-class beginnings, she is now mortgage free thanks to her job as a prosperous interior designer. Deborah struggles politically as her family have always been strong labour supporters, however she believes her successes have been enabled as a result of conservative policies - and therefore finds herself becoming more privy to this political standing. Much of Deborah's social life consists of networking and engaging with interior design clients, though she does find time to lunch with friends and her children, spend time with grandchildren and potter around the garden with her dog. She also enjoys shopping, naturally. 

Study Task 04 - Triangulation

In order for luxury brands to create appeal to upper-class consumers they must go further into the specific frame of reference surrounding this target and know what rational and emotional triggers they obtain. That being said, the question still remains as to how this can be achieved and through what means. Most typically, this is achieved through the finishing of the packaging and the experience of the brand/product(s) at point of purchase in the retail environments themselves, placing unequivocal importance on the packaging that is perhaps disproportionate to what it actually contains. This is enforced as Calver says ‘packaging becomes a manifestation of the brand itself and, because a brand is more than just a product itself, the packaging becomes a compound of conusmers’ perceptions, memories and feelings.’ (Calver, 2003: 44)

Similarly to this, Nayar too believes in packagings’ ability to enhance perception and appeal as she explains ‘goods possess meanings that are dependant upon their appropriation by the users. Material culture, therefore, is not simply about things and objects. Rather, it is about the intimate connection between the object and its users.’ (Nayar, 2009: 49)

The intimate connection Nayar speaks of can be realised through the finishing and materials used in packaging design, which in themselves have the ability to communicate and represent the luxury and exclusive intentions of high-end brands through coalesced impressions experienced by consumers, another commonality shared with Calver in that he believes and advocates the importance of material selection in ‘controlling perceptions of a product — both initial perceptions and more considered appraisal.’ (Calver, 2003: 112)

The addition of materials such as ribbon for example, or multiple layers of packaging prompt the consumer into personal engagement and interaction, which in turn enhances expectation through amplified suspense when opening a product. By carefully selecting materials and finishes that evoke and encourage tactile exploration, and create a memorable experience, brands are able to establish exclusivity through successful differentiation from others within the same cultural framework — which according to Reece allows for them to ‘maximise prices to what the market will bear’ (Reece, 2013: 34) 

This, according to Twedt is ‘too great to be ignored.’ (Twedt, 1968: 58)

Essentially, package designers must consider the subconscious associations consumers’ have with materials and must anticipate the instinctive attribution of certain perceptions with particular mediums and resources in relation to their visual appearances/aesthetics and tactile sensations. It is through these considerations that standard packaging transcends its boundaries to become luxury, sought after in its own right and desired by the high-end consumer as a result of introduced upwards comparison potentials.