Packaging: the Instant Communicator - Helping Consumers Navigate Through a Sea of Confusion
By Rick Barrack - Chief Creative Officer/Partner, CBX

Consumers need a break from the myriad of competing product claims that have left them dazed, confused, and cynical. Without a standardized system in place, these colorful bursts on packages shouting claims about nutrition, eco-friendliness and even carbon emissions is complicating the landscape and making it hard for consumers to understand their meaning.

Marketers of packaged goods have an opportunity to provide credible, useful information in an instant with iconography that is designed well and follows set criteria rather than random claims.

CBX conducted an audit of icons currently in the marketplace. For the most part, we were extremely disappointed. A successful icon clearly and simply communicates its message - ideally without words. Or, the visual should be memorable enough that the words could eventually be removed and a consumer would still recognize the message. Icons must be used with consistency and never vary in their message. Great icons pick up on common visual associations and give them a twist. A perfect example is the slow food icon (snail= slow + escargot=food).

An icon from a nationally recognized institution or organization reflects the best of both worlds: credibility and impartiality. Some good examples include USDA Organic, which has established a long history of credibility behind it along with Energy Star, an international program indicating energy efficient products.

The recent trend of companies developing their own set of icons for their products is causing greater confusion. Eco-friendly icons seem to be everywhere. With consumers more sensitive than ever to green washing, these initiatives are turning them off. Companies need to make a true commitment to sustainability and back up these claims with action and reform, not simply slap a green icon on the front of their package. If there are legitimate environmental benefits (i.e. a product is locally grown, created using green energy, or produced with recyclable materials) companies should consider putting these claims on the back of the package.

Nutritional icons designed to help consumers make healthier choices, such as PepsiCo's Smart SpotTM also cause confusion and mistrust -- especially when these appear on such items as chocolate chip granola bars. Kraft has a system for identifying "healthy items" called their Sensible Solutions program. Currently on over 500 of its products, these flag icons make claims for whole grains, fat, sodium, heart healthy, etc. Even supermarkets are jumping in with programs like Hannaford Bros. Guiding Stars logo program that awards one to three stars for items throughout the store that range from good nutritional value to best. The problem for consumers is that each of these programs has different aims and uses inconsistent nutrition criteria.  In addition, an overabundance of iconographic communication quickly becomes white noise.

Initiatives that are regulated by a government agency or an outside authority rather than individual marketers have the best chance of being embraced by consumers and free of bias. Some of these initiatives include:

- Smart Choice label: developed with the input of academic nutritionists, this icon is aimed at helping consumers make sense of competing claims made by individual companies. Set to debut later this year, products made by General Mills, Kellogg, PepsiCo, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Kraft, and Con-Agra have all agreed to use it. To qualify for the label, products cannot exceed certain levels of fat, cholesterol, sugar and sodium and must provide positive nutrients. Products that receive the Smart Choice label will also display calories per serving and number of servings per container on the front of the package.

- Green Good Housekeeping Seal: An extension of the Good Housekeeping Seal (which debuted in 1909) that consumers recognize as the "proverbial" blessing of quality assurance, the new Green Good Housekeeping Seal will help consumers identify environmentally friendly ones as well. The magazine has partnered with an environmental consultancy, Brown Wilmanns Environmental to develop the criteria. A product's composition, manufacturing and packaging will be reviewed before receiving the designation. Separate criteria will be developed for different categories of products including appliances, electronics and health and beauty aids. The new icon reflects the look of the original seal, but is rendered in a dark green color and is flanked by leaves on either side. A simple system that is consumer focused and easy to understand - bravo!

- Carbon Footprint Labeling: a simplified, single banner can now be found in parts of Europe as well as in Japan in an effort to inspire producers and consumers to lower their CO2 emissions. Carbon footprint labeling began in the UK with the governmentally funded Carbon Trust. A carbon footprint is the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by the product. Tesco, UK's largest grocery chain began carbon footprint labeling of its own products in May 2008. Eventually, all Tesco suppliers will have to comply. In the U.S., Timberland has begun to include carbon footprint labels on their shoes. PepsiCo is planning to provide consumers with an absolute number for a product's carbon footprint, which many believe will become a trend. The information will be posted on Tropicana's website. The company has not decided if it will be put on the actual package.

While many of these initiatives have originated in Europe, the time has come for the U.S. marketplace to step up to the plate. The U.S. has been spoiled by the largess of its own resources and seemingly limitless supply of space. As the richest nation on the planet, we have had the power to purchase additional global resources as well. However, recent awareness during this period of economic distress has focused our attention on the cost of these resources (to our pocketbooks and our planet). In addition, the backlash against corporate greed and a president elected based on a platform of change that cares about green issues are helping to move us in the right direction. We are ready for a kinder, gentler agenda - one that is in tune and better educated about the health of our environment and ourselves.

We see an opportunity to develop new icons with universal standards. These icons would replace independent marketer's initiatives and help consumers make better purchase decisions. Some icons in consideration include:

- Made in America - With the U.S. economy mired in a deep recession, consumers want to buy and support American made products. In addition, unregulated conditions in other countries, such as China, have brought dangerous products into our marketplace. Made in the U.S.A. translates into "safe" for consumers. While there are several icons that currently exist including: Made in the USA (American flag, star, etc.) we believe that a national iconic system should be put in place. Creating an iconic USA communication for the front of a package or bundling USA products at retail (similar to the organic section of a supermarket) would be advisable.

- Local banners for homegrown products - The first step is deciding how to define homegrown. Does it mean grown within a 50-mile radius, 100-mile radius? Once the standard is established, other factors need to be considered. Oftentimes, consumers are looking for locally grown products to provide other benefits such as organic, pesticide free, artisan, etc. There are also opportunities for locally grown products to add cache (i.e. Amish growers, small farms, etc.). A government system, similar to Smart Choice, would help create a universal system. 

- Energy Efficiency - The Energy Star program for appliances should be expanded to cover different categories of products. This would include a clear set of criteria for eco or green claims per industry. Consumers today may look for an Energy Star icon when shopping for appliances but there is a difference in what that means for plastics, food, furniture, etc. The current HE (high efficiency) program is also confusing because consumers don't understand what it means, only that some of the products they purchase recommend that they use them for better efficiency.

Regardless of where these icons are placed on the package, they should never overwhelm the product's basic communication. They should serve to aid the consumer, not confuse. Well designed icons on packaging that help consumers shop smarter and make wise choices for their health, the environment, their country and their local resources requires an understanding of effective communication design. The result will be positive change.

POPON - Point of Purchase Online Network Featuring Rick Barrack - CBX