Today’s consumers arguably are more engaged with a beverage’s packaging than ever before, increasingly reading ingredient lists and Nutrition Facts labels and researching products on their mobile phones before purchasing in the store, while at the same time engaging with brands on the Internet. This interaction, along with the proliferation of products on store shelves, continues to solidify the relationship between a beverage brand and its packaging.
“With the possible exception of fragrances, no other [fast-moving consumer goods] (FMCG) category is so heavily reliant upon packaging to define and reinforce the brand,” says Scott Jost, vice president of innovation and design at Chicago-based Berlin Packaging’s Studio One Eleven Division. “Since consumers don’t ‘touch’ the product, and in some cases don’t ‘see’ the product, the packaging and the product are inseparable in a way that’s fairly unique.