Views from the Hills by R. E. Stevens, GENESIS II (The Second Beginning) E-Mail views@aol.com

First Impressions

I have frequently discussed the merits of packaging in past Views.  While packaging offers multiple benefits, one of the most beneficial is "Communication."  Your package can and does communicate an image pertaining to you and your product.  The appearance of your package delivers a strong message about your product and the benefits associated with its use.

When most people think about a package, they think about a carton or bag in which a product is delivered.  This I propose ia a very limited view of what packaging is all about.  In a recent presentation on personal development, I discussed how a person's appearance, grooming and dress, is the packaging of an individual and how this packaging communicates a great deal about the person.  The impressions, right or wrong, send a message.  What message do you want to communicate and is that the message you are communicating?  A style of dress may say as my grandson would say, "he is cool" or we may see that style as saying "he is flexible," not controlled by convention, or he is "in control" or whatever.  But to another person, the same appearance may say he is not professional, or he does not take things seriously.  Associations such as conformist or non-conformist can be either good or bad. It depends on the receiver of the message and it is our responsibility to know what message we are sending, to whom we are sending it, and how the message is received.

A good example of the above happened recently when my wife and I were on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  Our group of about 25, were going out to dinner.  A local restaurant was recommended.  We pulled up in front of the restaurant and about half of the group did not want to go inside.  The building was one floor, painted purple, green, pink and some other added colors.  The parking lot was small and unpaved.  It just did not look very appealing.  As one said, "It is a dump."  After considerable discussion, we decided to try it.  Once inside and we saw the array of food, all agreed that it was a good choice.  Everyone left happy and full.  In talking with the management, I learned that the appearance is intentional.  It is meant to convey a casual atmosphere.  My thoughts were that while it did convey that message to the locals, it may not to visitors.  And since this is a tourist area, how many are turned away by the "dump" appearance rather than the casual interpretation?  I may add that before we arrived, we knew that it was a somewhat expensive restaurant, actually a little over $25 per person.

I should add that if you happen to visit Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina, I recommend the Carolina Buffet Restaurant & Carry Out.

How much time do you spend on the "First Impression" of your brands?  Do you assess the "First Impression" before going into the market?

Response to:  Don't Do As I Do, Do As I Say, Views for August 27, 2000
 

"Bob, you missed an important point -- In today's world, the irresponsible writer would blame you for being the problem -- obviously, if you would have kept up with the relatively recent technology over the past five years, you wouldn't be using a thermal fax.

You would be considered the problem and the irritant to his workday.  If you had a plain paper fax, you would have the information you needed and you wouldn't have had to bother him while he was surfing the net."



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