Be disruptive. Stand Out. Make it exciting. All sounds pretty straightforward, right?
In the exhilarating arena of Limited Edition Packaging design, brands are not just adapting but thriving, propelled by the shifting currents of consumer desires. Off the back of our recent PAC Award wins, Sam Swanwick, one of Aire Global’s talented and leading designers, delves deeper into a post all about Limited Edition Packaging and answers some key questions about striking the right balance of being disruptive and exciting without losing the connection the consumer has with the brand.
How do you approach designing Limited Edition Packaging differently from say a range extension?
“What I love, is that you have more permission to push the boundaries of the brand and the pack the product resides in. It’s a limited edition or gift pack so it’s only going to be on the shelf for a limited time. The consumer needs to feel this exclusivity. However, designing for limited editions or gifting can be more complex than you might initially think. Whilst one of the main considerations is to be unique, eye-catching and memorable, we need to make sure it communicates a narrative to the relevant consumer. Ultimately it has to be different enough to attract attention and make it desirable for the consumer. The trick is about finding a balance of new and engaging but being able to make sure that the brand’s overall personality is still embedded into the design. Otherwise, it could feel like any brand.”
What are some challenges you encounter when designing Limited Edition or gift packaging and how do you solve them?
“Understanding the use of third-party assets; When these are brought into the mix, this can provide some interesting challenges. The careful balance of bringing two worlds together, but making sure they can work in harmony and don’t collide into an explosion of confusion, needs careful consideration.
Understanding your audience; This challenges designers to infuse exclusivity and desirability into the packaging, necessitating a deep understanding of the audience’s unique preferences and aspirations. It demands a creative approach that differentiates the product while ensuring it remains true to the brand’s identity and resonates emotionally with the target audience, making the item a coveted and memorable offering.
Understanding the market you’re working within; Cultural nuances can have massive impacts.
Many challenges can be encountered, however, we always make sure that we follow our design process and build in the right amount of strategy, analytics and insights before we embark upon the creative execution.”
What makes a limited edition/gifting pack successful among consumers?
It’s hard to provide one magical answer for this as it requires several components but here are some things to consider. Be unique and stand out, but ultimately, relevant. The fear of missing out drives the consumer’s interest, so collectability and personalisation are proven innovations to factor in as they increase desirability.
Sales and popular awareness on socials are the true test of success. We recently worked with Oreo in Southeast Asia on a Vietnam TET Festival limited edition series of packs. Using all of the above points, we created a series of Limited Edition packs that gained a 6% uplift in sales. A massive success.
Overall to make it successful it needs a combination of key elements such as exclusivity, emotional appeal, visual uniqueness, personalisation and some sort of authenticity and recognisability that resonates.
What are 3 limited edition packs that are iconic in the industry?
It’s hard to pick out some of the most iconic brands that are remembered for some excellent limited edition or gifting packs but what stands out for me were the below:
Coca-Cola’s ‘Share a Coke’ was one of the first Global brands to start the personalised packaging trend back in 2011, coming up with the idea of Coca-Cola being a giftable product to share with anyone. Including first names on the labels helped make the products feel personal and added a heartfelt tone to the already massive Coca-Cola brand.
Hershey’s Chocolate – HerShe campaign. Wow! Globally adopted, totally inclusive. Hershey’s invited female artists to showcase their work by creating unique designs from scratch to be placed on the packaging. The packs were more than just great pieces of packaging, they were catalysts for change and their commitment to gender equality.
Absolut Vodka’s bottle manufacturing saw them take on the task of creating 4 million individually designed bottles all unique to one another, using random bright colours, shapes and patterns applied to the decoration process of the glass bottles. Using clever computer algorithms they managed to complete the mammoth task where each bottle was decorated by a machine.