Effective storytelling through brand packaging

24 January 2018



Emphasising the story of a brand through packaging is a powerful tool when it comes to engaging with customers. Emma-Jane Batey speaks to brand-owners from up-and-coming and established companies, which all leverage the human desire for storytelling.


Creating an immediate connection with customers is just as important as building long-term loyalty – but effectively achieving both is even better. Storytelling has become the buzzword across marketing campaigns, with packaging being the perfect vehicle for strengthening a brand’s identity. By using packaging to tell a story, brands aim to create an association that is relevant while capturing their heritage, however old or young that may be. They are well aware that consumers expect more; there is no ‘build it and they will come’ for packaging, and design briefs can be as demanding as customers.

In July 2016, iconic personal-care brand Woods of Windsor relaunched, showcasing how storytelling with packaging is a great vehicle for engaging existing and potential customers.

“Packaging plays a very important role in Woods of Windsor’s DNA, as this gives us an opportunity to explain the brand’s values and positioning,” says Karen Cullen, marketing manager at Yardley London, the iconic company’s sister brand. “Woods of Windsor originates from an 18th-century apothecary that was situated beside Windsor Castle. It is a premium English-niche lifestyle and gift brand. Given that we rely on editorial support and in-store merchandising, there is a greater emphasis on our packaging telling a story, while also quickly explaining the product’s features and benefits. Consumer research is vital and before our relaunch, we carried out research to establish how well customers responded to the packaging and whether they emotionally responded to the new imagery,” she adds.

See the heritage

This ‘emotional response’ is the desired outcome for storytelling with packaging. Cullen expands on this, saying, “However, our colours and content emphasis has changed; the one constant is that the packaging has always been recognisable as Woods of Windsor. The objective [of the relaunch] was to take inspiration from modern and vintage flower illustrations, the beauty of the Windsor Great Park and the romance of Windsor Castle, as well as the delicate flora and fauna of the fragranced English country garden, to develop a fresh, new take on the iconic heritage of Woods of Windsor. We’ve enjoyed very positive feedback from our customers, as it encapsulates the heritage of the brand, is nostalgic yet contemporary, and is perceived to be premium and highly giftable.”

Strong design is key

It is true that understanding the existing brand identity from a customer’s perspective is helpful, with packaging having the ability to cement this or change one’s perceptions, if necessary.

The UK number-one-selling jerky and biltong brand Wild West’s packaging has been cleverly used to strengthen its position, while making it appeal to a new audience. It is already a category leader and is gaining market share in the fast-growing high-protein snacking sector. Jennifer Macdonald-Nethercott, marketing manager at parent company Meatsnacks Group, says, “Wild West jerky required a refresh to make it more relevant to today’s snacker and to meet changing consumer needs. We engaged Pearlfisher, a leading strategic design and branding agency, to review our portfolio of products and create a compelling brand proposition to attract new consumers, and to go beyond the expectations of existing customers.”

In its press release, Pearlfisher said that refreshing Wild West’s offering saw the company design new branding that ‘took Wild West on a journey from ‘one-dimensional cowboy’ to ‘modern explorer’ with a confident new design that evokes both rugged wilderness and urban exploration’. All the Wild West packaging is manufactured in China and is made from PTE plastic, which acts as a heat-sealed laminated barrier film to keep the product fresh.

Macdonald-Nethercott adds, “We’ve taken the brand away from being overtly Americana to something that the urban explorer can relate to. The brand makes jerky more accessible for everyday snacking and the needs of the contemporary consumer. The new design has strengthened Wild West jerky, making it the brand for an individual with an active lifestyle and a passion for adventure. Moving away from the typical, traditional brand cues associated with jerky, and becoming more sophisticated and contemporary, Wild West takes consumers beyond where jerky has been.”

As relatively new brands cleverly enhance storytelling through packaging, and use it to their advantage, so too can established brands that have a long and unmatched heritage story.

Take Smith’s Rosebud Salve, a celebrity must-have that has an illustrious history. Its producer, the Rosebud Perfume Company, was founded in 1895 by Dr George F Smith. Even more impressively, the product’s formula remains a tightly guarded trade secret to this day. The product was made to be ‘an all-purpose salve’ that uses the finest fragrance oils and white petrolatum, which is placed in a beautiful vintage-style tin.

Linda Pruitt-Michielli, one of Smith’s heirs, and part owner and vice-president of the Rosebud Company, takes great pride in continuing to deliver the quality and service of her ancestors.

“The tin was first developed to protect the essential oils in the sales and balms. It is iconic because it hails back to the early days of our pharmacy and our logo is all part of that nostalgic embellishment,” she explains.

“Our tins are made by an independent can company in the US, as the designs were so old for the early versions that it is unknown who created them. The package has been redesigned several times to accommodate bilingual necessities – and I am the one who tended to that. Designs on the strawberry, brambleberry, mocha rose and rose mandarin lip balms are also my own.”

Blending the old with the new

So, weaving together the old and new is integral to a brand’s packaging storytelling. It would be crazy to neglect a valuable heritage story by rebranding with the very latest style; however, a startup brand would look inauthentic if it tried to emulate older designs and imagery, which could give consumer’s the perception that it is pompous.

Crabbie’s, a Scottish alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks brand, has a very interesting story to tell through its packaging. The company was primarily known for its malt and blended-scotch whiskies, and famous ginger wine. But Anja-Weise O’Connor, senior marketing manager at parent company Halewood Wines and Spirits, points out that the brand has been able to capture its heritage, while moving seamlessly into growing markets.

“The Crabbie’s journey began in 1801, when its pioneering founder John Crabbie was inspired by culinary treasures from the Far East that were arriving at the Port of Leigh, and thus used the Asian elephant as a symbolic sign of the drink’s origin. Since then, Crabbie’s has been proud to wear the elephant on every bottle neck in honour of the integral part it played in its now iconic flavour, communicating the brand’s rich heritage and provenance of our famous six-week steeped ginger. Crabbie’s has also partnered with the Millennium Elephant Foundation to protect these endangered giants,” says O’Connor.

The careful balance of tradition and modernity is clearly at play on Crabbie’s packaging. O’Connor elaborates on this, adding, “Consumer focus is most certainly important and Crabbie’s ticks every box: it’s an award-winning, daring, carefully designed and hand-crafted product with real authenticity and provenance. However, Crabbie’s has also stayed fresh by tapping into the growing craft beer category, with the launch of our first ever ginger IPA and the introduction of a bolder packaging design.

“Of course, the iconic elephant features. And to show it caters for a range of consumer lifestyles, its gluten-free credentials now have better visibility on the bottle neck. The distinctive design dials up the brand’s craftsmanship credentials, ensuring that Crabbie’s becomes more relevant and eye-catching on shelves to craft ale and beer fans, while remaining in keeping with the category’s contemporary look and feel,” she explains.

There are now no barriers for brands that wish to tell their story through packaging. Old, new, heritage-driven or urban – brands love to engage with their customers through that very first physical point of contact – packaging. From social media to advertising and the on-shelf appeal, packaging can connect on a cerebral level. As consumers across all sectors are increasingly demanding products that reflect their sense of self, the role of storytelling is certainly a tale worth telling.

Smith’s Rosebud Salve’s delicate packaging and vintage design boost the balm’s aesthetics.
Woods of Windsor’s packaging gives consumers a glimpse into the company’s history. Its most recent design has garnered positive feedback from customers.
Crabbie’s artfully balances the brand’s heritage with a modern feel for its packaging.


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