Could you please pass the Gnome?

Packaging that entertains.

All it takes is 30 seconds.  That’s all the time it takes for consumers to make a judgment call and decide on the likeability and trustworthiness of your product. That’s how much time you have to make a first impression.

The limbic part of the human brain is wired to make these types of quick judgments, even before the conscious mind has time to make a logical decision. This is why it is so important to make a first impression that causes you to stop dead in your tracks and create a mixture of emotions like awe & delight, puzzled yet amused, a feeling of jaw dropping hilarity or just plain impressed by the genius of what you've just seen.

What's more, positive first impressions increase the value of the product inside and cause the consumer to assume that the quality of the product will be high.

I've found some genius examples of products that entertain and make a great first impression. Enjoy!

Thelma's cookies

This company makes scrumptious cookies and delivers them right to your door while they are still warm. The box presentation conveys that very point and reinforces that they are "fresh and right out of the oven".

Hanger Tea

A tea bag shaped like a T-shirt on a hanger? Why not? It's cute, fun and different. Just hang it from your cup. This product is clever, simple and fun, and a different colour for each variety of tea.

Just Laid eggs

This product took a very bold approach to convey its message. They wanted "to emphasise the benefit of locally laid eggs to consumers through a cheeky brand name that reinforces the idea of freshly laid eggs straight from the hen.  The creative execution is a selection of playful caricatures of hens laying eggs with three different poses/expressions for each of the three variants.”, says the design firm from the UK.

And lastly, Molocow milk. This design concept was created as a "spatial edition" bottle for the Molocow milk company and is based on a story where cows were seen being abducted by aliens during the late 1800s. Of course, the story was a hoax. But this bottle is not. I know every kid would beg their parents to buy this milk just so they could play with the flying saucer after the bottle was empty.

Your packaging doesn't have to be "genius" but it should definitely leave a positive impression in the first few seconds of the customer's interaction with your product.

Ask yourself; does your packaging add value to its contents? Does it provide an experience?

Morty Silber, CEO

Mad Strategies Inc.
a Wizard of Ads Partner