Package Design - December 2013 - 9

FRONT PANEL

nacle are most effective at grabbing
and holding consumer attention on
shelf, dramatically outperforming
the industry average. By contrast,
Smirnoff and Stolichmaya-brands
with decades of brand equity-are
more likely to be overlooked by consumers on shelf.
■ Stale packaging can lead to brand
erosion: A poorly perceived package
can quickly undermine the millions
spent on advertising to build a brand
personality. While consumers perceive Absolut's brand as "sexy, sophisticated and modern," the current
bottle design actually erodes its brand
equity in these areas. By contrast,
Belvedere's bottle design elevates its
brand equity significantly in all but
one of 11 key vodka personality traits.
■ Gen Xers and Boomers don't see
eye-to-eye with Millennials: To main-

A poorly perceived
package can
quickly undermine
the millions spent
on advertising to
build a brand
personality.
tain competitive share, vodka brands
must consider changing demographics and adjust accordingly. As an
example, Absolut's bottle design is
succeeding in positioning the brand
as "fun, friendly and approachable"
among consumers 35 and older. However, it's less effective with those aged
21 to 34, millennial drinkers, who
perceive Smirnoff as leading in those
categories. It appears Absolut is well
positioned for growth with older
drinkers, while Smirnoff is attracting
a younger base.
"Our audit shows that established
vodka brands should seize the oppor-

tunity to refine their packaging to
counter new competitors in this highgrowth, competitive category," Blake
Howard, vice president of design
solutions at Affinnova, says. "They can
no longer rely solely on their marketing mix or even existing brand equity

to do all the heavy lifting. PD
More information about the study can
be found in the infographic, images
provided by the research group, on
pages six and seven and on Affinova's
website (www.affinnova.com).

Great Ideas to Great Presentations

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3
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5
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white box
shrink sleeve
metallic label
clear bag
white pouch
clear box

7 metallic box
8 white label
9 clear label
10 metallic bag
11 clear outer wrap

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Package Design - December 2013

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