The Hook and the Hold

packaging design hook

Building brands is all about attention. Continued success comes not just from grabbing attention, but from maintaining and nurturing it – it’s called ‘the Hook and the Hold’.

This strategy plays across all brand touchpoints, BUT the very first hook you need is your packaging design.

Engaging packaging design is what will draw people in and start the conversation going – it’s the physical embodiment of everything you stand for. As the heart of your brand, the look and feel you create here sets the stage for pushing your message and values out to all your other brand touchpoints.

Here are 4 questions to help check if your packaging design is going to ‘hook’ the consumers you want…

Is it clear what your product is and what it does?

I know this sounds obvious, but we’ve seen it happen so many times. Just because you think it’s clear, doesn’t mean a consumer will.
You want them to understand 3 key messages – who am I; what am I selling; what makes me unique – and usually have less than 8 seconds to engage them!

How much information are you trying to convey?

Typically, people digest three key points of information at a time.
It’s tempting to cram lots of things onto your packaging, but there are so many other brand touchpoints to continue your story.
So, when it comes to packaging design, less is almost always more – keep your message simple to win their eyes first, then their hearts.

Are you using the right category cues?

Every product category has certain visual elements that help tell consumers a product belongs there. You can create disruption through typography; graphic elements; colour etc, but if you’re not including at least some category cues the consumer will look straight past your product.

Does your packaging design reflect how amazing your product is?

Your blood, sweat and tears have gone into creating this amazing product, so your packaging design needs to do it justice – or how will anyone know.
Is it intriguing; will it pique interest and make people want to discover more? Will it turn heads, focus wandering eyes and win hearts?

If you’re interested in an objective, ‘consumers’ eye view of your current brand and packaging design, talk to Kate about our ‘Visual Audit’ – designed to give you small, simple to implement changes, that could make a huge difference to your brand.

Have a look at the other brands we’ve helped transform here.

Join us…

We’re helping more brands launch, grow and thrive through sharing the why and the how, sprinkled with a little creativity to inspire you. If you want to elevate your brand and really engage your audience, then this is the place to be!

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