The tag ‘Limited edition’ is a marketing strategy that never seems to fails in the market. After all, who doesn’t like to possess something that is rare or unique right? Marketers and brands have for long used this human psychology trait in their product and packaging strategies to gain more attention and appeal from their customers. Packaging remains a consistent winner and a critical driver in sales, so what better way brands to establish a connection with their customers than an effective packaging design. In the earlier years, limited edition packaging design and products were limited to luxury brands. However, gradually this trend has been accepted by most brands and even by FMCG products. What makes a limited-edition packaging design successful is its ability to grab customers’ interest and create a connection with them. Often limited-edition campaigns do not become as successful as expected due to the lack of appealing packaging design.
If a limited-edition packaging design is what you are planning for your brand, then here are a few tips and tricks that will help you get it right:
Have a strong brand foundation
When you are driving past a highway, and you notice a big ‘M’ symbol in yellow from a distance, you would recognize it as McDonald’s within a fraction of a second. This is what is referred to as a strong brand foundation. It is essential for your brand to have a robust visual identity that is well established and blindly recognized by your audience. Having a strong brand foundation is important before formulating the idea of limited edition packaging design for your products. In most cases, a limited-edition packaging design would have colors and patterns that are different from the original design of the product. Therefore, to prevent deviation from the brand’s identity, it is vital for companies to establish elements associated with the brand that would be incorporated irrespective of the packaging.
Bring audience to the forefront
Keeping your target audience in mind is the key to the success of any marketing effort. Sometimes, what might and might not work in a market is highly unpredictable. So, it is essential that brands experiment when it comes to limited edition packaging designs. Understand the current trends in the market and try to design your packaging in line with them. E.g., During the FIFA world cup, popular beer manufacturer Budweiser had introduced limited edition bottles designed in the shape of the FIFA trophy, depicting their solidarity to the football-fever. This effort became highly popular, and simultaneously the brand’s sales skyrocketed during the period. Coca-Cola also adopted similar efforts in their limited edition packaging design.
Turn it into a collectible
One of the main reasons why people get attracted to limited edition packaging design is the fact that they have their hands on something rare. Brands can capitalize on this emotion and turn their product packaging into a collectible that is long lasting. This tactic can also help companies to spur up their sales.
Make it social media worthy
People tend to put up the smallest aspects of their lives on social media. And there is no better way for brands to gain publicity than the social media platforms. Give your audience a reason to put up pictures and posts about your product on social media. The more attractive the limited-edition packaging design looks, the more are the chances for people to share them on social media.
Get the first mover advantage
To gain more attention from the customers, it is important to do new things before the competitors do. This will create a buzz around your marketing efforts and help you gain more profits. Take the example of coca-cola; they introduced the concept of ‘Share a coke,’ where the labels of the bottles were changed to names or specific character traits of people such ‘Legend, buddy, star, etc.’. This limited edition packaging design was the first of its kind and garnered a tremendous response from the customers.
