Silent Salesmen

This bottle is iconic I don’t even have to mention the name of this product from small children to our grandparents almost everyone in the world knows what it is.  The design of this bottle was copyrighted because this brand was being copied by so many copycats and this bottle ensured that people could tell they were the “real thing.”

Just in case you don’t know, the brand is Coca Cola. However coke isn’t the only brand with immediately recognisable packaging. Take for example the unique shade of purple of Cadbury’s Diary Milk, Pringles round tube, simple red and white of Marlboro or the retro silver and blue can of Red Bull. There packaging is an extension of their brand and we can spot it instantaneously when it stands next to its competitors on retail shelves.

Design can have a funny effect on people, you can one day be happy with your simple run of the mill MP3 player but then all of sudden you want a brightly coloured piece of plastic, with an apple logo on the back called an ipod.

We all know that packaging and product design are known as silent salesmen, then why do so many companies get it wrong? Take a look at the uninspiring boxes of Shan or Shezan’s National brand. The entire sub continent is associated with colour, from the richness of spices, to our clothes, to kites flying during basant. Both these companies miss out on even intriguing the customers through there packaging.

Though such blandness has not had an obvious effect on these companies, one firm was not so lucky. Cast your mind back to the early part of the decade when Adam Motors launched in a media frenzy proudly stating to be Pakistan’s first indigenously designed car. With its straight lines this car looked like it’s been lifted from the 80’s but unfortunately even retro cars need to be refreshed to look modern. Poor design and poor pricing strategy in terms of what was on offer ultimately lead to the downfall of the company.

Tags: bottle, brand, car, design, media frenzy, product, retail shelves, retro, retro cars, Salesmen, Shezan, Silent, silent salesmen

Category: Marketing, Other Stuff