Future Packaging - Globalization or Localization

Whether packaging design is global packaging or localized packaging?

Many famous international brands have now adjusted their production to suit local customs. Some have changed their products, while others have changed their packaging. A study from the International Packaging Exhibition in Paris, France revealed some of these details.

The EMBALLAGE Paris International Packaging Exhibition, the most famous and largest international packaging exhibition in Europe, was recently unveiled on November 26th at Nord Villepinte in the northern suburbs of Paris. Before hosting each EMBALLAGE, the organizer of the exhibition will publish a report, which will play an advocacy role for the exhibition to some extent. The "Package Horizon" discussion at this year's show focused on the international packaging market and published a title entitled "Packaging: A Global Market." Is it myth or reality? The study report.

In the 27 pages of the report, the report gives several meaningful observations, mainly focusing on how international brands and their packaging and how both change themselves to cater to regional habits and tastes.

Some brands are completely international in nature, but it does not mean that the same product or the same package of the brand is used throughout the world. Nestlé’s Nestlé coffee product is a clear example. Nestlé coffee has hundreds of different sizes, flavors, and packaging products around the world because of different national and regional habits. For example, instant coffee is canned in Japan but not in Europe and North America.

France Garnier not only makes its cosmetics conform to the fashion of different regions, but also changes the size of the product according to regional needs: its products in the United States will be larger than in other countries. In addition, it also uses different colored packaging in Malaysia and Brazil. But on the other hand, the French Lancome uses the same packaging all over the world, only the difference between the French version and the British version.

Many food brands such as Häagen-Dazs and Starbucks have not changed the original intention of the product, but have also penetrated into markets around the world. There are also a number of painkillers manufacturers like Advil and Bayer. In addition, some cosmetics brands also follow the same line. "The blue bottled Nivea is a symbol of moisturizing cream for the whole world," the report noted. Dove, as mentioned in the report, built up a skin care product in a short time.

However, compared to the success of Haagen-Dazs and other American brands, Gatorade only "acquired tepid success from the countries it is involved in." According to the report, the appearance of Gatorade has also occurred. There are brands such as Snapple and Ben and Jerry's that cannot replicate the image of the U.S. local product to overseas markets, in part because of the appearance and size of the packaging and the requirements of the European market. Does not match.

Really international product

In a globalized environment, companies use different methods for production and packaging. The report mentioned that Estée Lauder cosmetics are produced in the United States, packaged in Canada, and then exported to other parts of the world. Nestlé’s coffee is produced in the Americas, packaged in France or Brazil, and finally sold back to North America.

The report also said that on the other hand, France's Loreal is a two-pronged approach. Its big brand is managed by an international market team, usually only one single layout. However, most of the products are distributed to subordinate companies. These subordinate companies have their own market institutions. Each of them has “different varieties and sizes of products and has specific packaging”.

However, packaging still has its strong regionality. “The places where packaging products are produced are usually located as close as possible to the places where packaging operations are carried out, and the places where packaging operations are carried out are usually arranged closer to consumers,” the report states. For example, Smirnoff vodka, an internationally famous spirit brand, is generally produced and packaged locally, and the same shapes are used by different manufacturers of the same brand. "The same thing that is apparent to marketers is rarely the case for manufacturers because glass manufacturing technology has historically been different in different countries," the report said. For example, the content of silicon depends on the country. The metal used to make beverage cans is also the same; the same appearance masks the nuances of the production process around the country, the report states.

Of course there are exceptions to this kind of regional packaging, especially packaging of high-end products such as cosmetics. Nowadays, France, Japan, and South Korea supply specialized cosmetics packaging, because each of them has unique production capabilities. For example, Estée Lauder from the United States imported injection-molded packaging from France and then shipped it to North American factories for product packaging.

Brand vs Packaging

The brand seems to be more international than the product itself, and the packaging is just the opposite. "Does Coca-Cola's huge success come from its products? Or because of the eye-catching logo that can be seen everywhere?" The report raises such a question.

When it comes to packaging, the size has become a localization issue. In the report, for example, PepsiCo's Tropicana juice drinks used large bottles of 2 liters in the U.S. market, but such size packaging is too large for the European and Japanese markets. "Japan's packaging is all too small, because Japan is a country with limited space and enjoys the feeling of freedom and convenience," the report said.

London-based Procter & Gamble has introduced P13 products to replace the Olay series on the European, Middle East and Japanese markets. According to the report of EMBALLAGE, its purpose is to adjust the packaging to adapt to different bathroom styles and cultural habits in different countries of the world. For example, for the Japanese market, it is a refill-type packaging.

The report also discusses issues concerning the sustainable development of the packaging industry and suggests that the packaging industry may face "re-promoting energy-saving issues in the production process." But it also said that this theory will not be easily adopted by Americans.

“The rapid changes in global air temperature conditions may lead to changes in consumer awareness, which also includes US consumers, who spend as little as possible on energy, air conditioning, and automobiles as part of their basic rights. But this On the one hand, sustainable development has become an abstract concept, and even runs counter to the personal liberty of most Americans."

The report is full of Eurocentric theory, especially when it comes to packaging development. In any case, you wouldn't be surprised if you look at the source of the report's visit. North American respondents only represented Estée Lauder and Landor Associates, both from New York City. This contrasts sharply with other respondents – there are at least 10 companies from France, 4 from the UK, and several from the Far East. The report was commissioned by EMBALLAGE exhibition organizer Loeb & Innovation to conduct the investigation and preparation.