Did you hear a packaging?
While picking a bag of chips, opening a soda can, noticing someone in your classroom slyly opening a toffee or every time you have popped a pill out of blisters. Yes! you have heard packaging.
Every packaging has unique sound feedback which builds anticipation for consumers, makes them aware of the product, its physical features and makes them more sensitive towards the product and stimulates senses.
Majorly packaging is about grabbing attention through eyes, it is important to note that packaging sounds can also exert a profound influence over our experience and behavior. It creates a heightened sense when the consumer interacts with product packaging, both at the point of purchase and at the point of consumption, which can affect their hedonic and sensory product evaluation.
Even in a static image, you can stimulate a pop sound and make you feel frizziness in the drink! As over years, it is registered in our senses, how a pop sound comes, where it is coming from, what brand it is, or what is inside the packaging. Studies suggest people can differentiate between brands by the sound of the pop sound coming from cans. Such ideas around sonic/audio design are being taken seriously by those working in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), and Home and Personal Care (HPC) categories.
Biodegradable Frito-Lays bags were yanked from shelves because of loud noise!
One such example is where sound can play a vital role in packaging. The snack food giant pulled most of the polylactic acid (PLA)-packed Sun Chips out of stores because consumers have complained that the material is too loud. The package used is a six-layer, 20-µm-thick film (PLA-print-adhesive-metal layer-PLA-PLA sealant) that's 90% by weight PLA and fully compostable in approximately 14 weeks when placed in a hot, active compost bin. However, it was so noisy, coming in at over 100 dB when gently held and rattled, that the company were soon forced to withdraw it from the shelves
Advantages of Sonic Packaging?
Sonic Branding and Marketing
A Coke or Pepsi Ad can make you addicted to the sound of a can opening with fizz and getting poured into a glass. That is the beauty of using sound branding and creating sensory marketing. Brands can real a story just on the memory of sound that they have created over advertisements.
There has been an explosive growth of interest in sensory marketing and sensory branding over the last decade. When you hear the sound of the crisp wafer on video and go with the same anticipation to buy a bag of chips is the reciprocation of sensory branding.
Krishna A. an integrative review of sensory marketing said "marketing that engages the consumers’ senses and affects their perception, judgment and behavior."
Feedback of closure
How many times do you get confused if you have closed the packaging after using it or not? Every time you come out of the shower and recall did you close the shampoo bottle cap. There is a missing feedback loop in lot packaging. A simple assurance of locking sound in packaging design can provide mental peace plus save the product from damage/loosing/spillage.
A lot of shampoo and shower gels have a very soft yet assuring sound of cap closure. This sound is simply built from the snap fitting by using friction sound between the material.
Monocartons have very different kinds of sounds in the packaging. It is very rare to hear a locking sound in fiber-based packaging. In the below example you can hear a very sharp and a click sound with the lid closing. In premium packaging boxes we can see the usage of magnets and has feedback of sound. The experience of sonic-induced packaging can bring up the product experience and brand impression.
Elevating opening experience
What sounds more pleasant a shearing sound of tape coming from a carton or a gentle tearing sound of paper?
A tear band feature on packaging not only enhances the unboxing experience but also directs sensory and hedonic expectations. Brands are working towards creating signature sounds that can distinguish their brand apart and have a higher recall value.
There are many such examples in day-day life packaging that you can observe. The sound of pop opening a medicine from the blister package assures you that the packaging was sealed. It has a distinctive sound than any other packaging. On another hand how much ever you try to open a toffee wrapper slyly, people around will notice you. Each sound builds a story of unboxing and creates anticipation for consumers.
Hedonic expectations of physical properties of the product
Can you guess without branding and graphics which pouch contains: detergent powder, liquid soap, or wafers?
Yes, once you start rattling you will be able to guess with help of sound and touch what product is inside. We can start guessing weight, viscosity, temperature and does the product has carbonation inside the packaging. This helps special needs people to sense the product in their hands.
It is unusual to see people can recognize brands, products and how strong the drink is by the sound of fizz in the bottle. Champagne bottles have a different sound than a beer bottle when opened. A few folks can make out the difference between different beverage drinks and brands just by sound.
The sensory and hedonic expectations that are elicited by the sounds of interaction have a higher recall memory and brand recognition. As a designer and consumer, both give me a curiosity as to how much we relate packaging through our multisensory experiences and how much more opportunities are there in this segment. Is there a gap or is there false marketing that lures us to the product and creates higher expectations from the packaging? A lot of research and opportunities are coming up in this field and interested many audio designers and psychoacoustic in this area.
Hope you enjoyed the read and as my friend, Pheobe says - Anyone, butterscotch?
Have more insights and would like to discuss with me. You can reach out to me at amitajain16@gmail.com.
-Amita
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