I get frustrated when I meet people who don’t think advertising affects them. Advertising does affect you. And, in fact, I’d argue those who believe they are immune are probably most likely to be influenced.
How powerful are advertising and marketing? In 2007, I shared an excerpt from Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink in which the author describes how product packaging affects our perceptions.
In front of us was the beverage section. Rhea leaned over and picked up a can of 7-Up. “We tested Seven-Up. We had several versions, and what we found is that if you add fifteen percent more yellow to the green on the package — if you take this green and add more yellow — what people report is that the taste experience has a lot more lime or lemon flavor.”
In other words, a product’s taste isn’t just affected by the ingredients; it’s affected by the packaging too! Advertising and marketing influence us in myriads subtle ways, and in-store marketing can be just as powerful as any other form.
Here’s a recent real-life example of how product packaging has an impact on our buying decisions. Last December, Tropicana introduced a new carton for its “Pure Premium” citrus juices. The old packaging featured a distinctive logo and an iconic “straw stuck in an orange” image. The new packaging was bland and generic.
No other changes were made to the product. The taste was the same and the cost was the same. All that changed was the packaging. If this sort of thing made no difference to sales, if consumers were not influenced by in-store marketing, then this package redesign shouldn’t have mattered.
But we are influenced by in-store marketing, and the package redesign did matter. It mattered a lot. According to last week’s Advertising Age, Tropicana’s sales for “Pure Premium” juices dropped by 20% between January 1st and February 22nd. In the business world, a 20% drop in sales is huge — especially when you consider that Tropicana’s competitors posted double-digit sales increases over the same period.
Tropicana, of course, denies any connection between the package redesign and the decline in market share. All the same, they’re bringing back the old packaging. It sure sounds like there’s a connection to me.
I’m not arguing that you should (or could) avoid advertising and marketing. I’m just asking you to be aware that it’s very real and very powerful, and it affects you — even if you think it doesn’t.
Photo by Justin Lai.
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I HATE the new packaging, and I am a fan of Tropicana. I like the orange in the straw. It looks refreshing, and as if it’s from Florida. The new design makes the product look like it’s from Mexico, and very generic.
I have bought 2 cartons of the new design, but I’m really happy that the old design is coming back.
I love behavioral economics, or social experimentation. If you haven’t read Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely (sp?), you should.
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I was wondering about that. The old packaging was a symbol of good taste and fresh real fruit. True, it wasn’t very mid-late-2000′s, but it was the drink I chose when I went to the store.
Then all of a sudden I went to the store and all I saw were these bland America’s Choice juices, until I realized it was actually a new Tropicana design…
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…which is why it’s difficult to guess those “mystery” flavor suckers and/or Airheads. Because there’s no color on the packaging to clue you in on what the flavor should taste like. Packaging is hugely influential. In reality, the mystery flavors are actually a mix of two different flavors, but if the packaging were two different colors, we’d have no problem spotting that cranapple or lemonmelon… or whatever.
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Tropicana no pulp is the only OJ that doesn’t make me sick, so of course, I’m loyal to it.
Since the switch, though, the size of larger containers has decreased, but the price hasn’t changed. Also, trying to find my particular type of juice takes a ridiculous amount of time, relative to the rest of my life. It used to be get the orange cap and now, it’s sort through and look for the 50% less sugar, blah blah blah.
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“Hate to say it, but… I’m unaffected by marketing.
If anything, I will tend to avoid a product if they get too in my face trying to advertise to me. ”
um…that’s being affected by marketing. It’s not the effect the company is trying to make, but it’s still an effect. =P
It’s amazing what a difference presentation can make. I read an article once about a lady who knitted her mom a sweater, than just handed it to her instead of wrapping it, and was disappointed when her mom didn’t seem “oh! a present!” excited. People can be so snobbish about “I look ONLY at what’s INSIDE, I’m not superficial like YOU” but the surface of a thing (or a person) is just as much a part of them as the inside.
I’m getting really philosophical about orange juice.
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I truly didn’t realise how much marketing is in our faces everyday until I moved into a house with a television!
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I love this type of stories… I sent it straight to my brother who is in marketing research. Thanks for all the great reads!
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I noticed everyone referring to the new packaging as looking “generic” because it was plain and simple. I wonder what would happen to generic OJ sales if they put some cartoon characters on it or dress it up a bit? I for one don’t buy Tropicana and didn’t notice the change until I read about it on the internet. One of the biggest reasons for me not buying Tropicana or much OJ of any brand at all is the price. Ouch!!! Imagine if we had to pay that in gasoline! Missing my daily morning juice but I’m happy finding another cheaper one!
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That’s funny.
I recently purchased some of that orange juice BECAUSE of the new packaging. I hated the old box because it was too noisy; there was so much shit going on! This box is simple and looks just like a box of orange juice, nothing else, which is what I want. It also helped that at the time, it was the cheapest of the “just orange juices” in the store.
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I just popped back over to the states for a two week visit.
I also hate the “new” packaging, because it does look generic. I like the “orange” on the box and distinctive Tropicana look. (I’m not particularly brand loyal, however and probably prefer MM country style, if they still sell it.)
I also decidedly don’t like the new pepsi logo.
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I agree that packaging influences much more and in a subtler way than advertising, which can instead be annoying and counterproductive.
I’m a lover of Crema Novi, which is a fantastic nut and cocoa spread, much better than the famous Nutella – it’s the only one which contains real hazelnut oil instead of palm oil.
Well, the packaging has been this one for years http://acantho.flashgiovani.it/mangiare/imgman/cremanovi.jpg – then it was changed to this http://photos-h.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v1956/36/26/1459762367/t1459762367_174559_1282.jpg which is more modern, attractive and “feels” more (I think!) like hazelnut. Well, the quality hasn’t changed, but guess what, when I find the old package and the new one, I always prefer the latter…
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I noticed the new packaging. I remember thinking how the new packaging looked so bland and tasteless. Packaging *does* has a huge effect on people, even if it’s in their sub-conscience.
The old Tropicana package has a fresh fat juicy wet orange on it. You can just taste that cold flavorful orange juice quenching your thirst. The new Tropicana package looks bland and tasteless. It almost looks bland enough to carry over to the juice inside, at least from a psychological standpoint. Also, the new packaging has a ‘generic’ feel to it. It feels ‘cheap’. If they were going for a high-end minimal feel, they failed, and instead ended up with a cheap generic store-brand orange juice feel. I’m glad they’ll be bringing back the old packaging.
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Am I the only person that noticed that Tropicana seemed to phase out the “Light and Healthy” version of its orange juice (pictured to the left in the photo at the top of this post)?
I purchased a carton of it every week for the last couple years and then, when Tropicana introduced their new packaging, it totally vanished. I checked the nutrition labels on all the new cartons and to my dismay, NONE of them had the reduced sugar and calorie count of the Light and Healthy that I was used to purchasing.
Perhaps there was actually more than just a branding change after all? I honestly don’t think that the two products in J.D.’s picture are the exact same. Same brand, yes, but same contents, no.
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People can’t help themselves– they judge “books” by their covers . . . this applies to anything a human looks at(other people, cars, and orange juice)– appearences count.
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I have to agree with some of the others. When I saw that packaging I didn’t immediately recognize it as the Tropicana brand. Obviously, it says Tropicana, but you get used to the brand symbol and you look for it. In the grocery store, I am in a hurry. I suspect that’s a factor as much as the bland packaging. You’d think companies would be more savvy about this type of thing. And, yes, if I’m buying name brand, I do like appealing packaging. That said, I buy frozen concentrate most of the time … generic, but I do buy Tropicana or name brand for guests. It does taste better.
Shirley
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I guess I’m one of the minority that actually prefer the new packaging. As previously posted – to me it looks more modern. The use of Helvetica font, the clean & unadorned layout.
As Jimmy noted though, the first change to catch my eye was that it no longer states “Light and Healthy”. I would’ve assumed that it was a slightly different product. But I would not have assumed it was a lower grade product.
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I teach finance management at a high school. I have the kids put together an ad campaign during the budgeting section. After that, they report that packaging and advertising has a very high influence on their purchases as a consumer. They also report that they are better able to avoid the influence–once they understand it.
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#9 “Speaking of Tropicana, watch out for their 50% less sugar OJ product. They took real 100% OJ, diluted it 50-50 with water, and threw in some natural flavor additive. (Check the ingredient list if you don’t believe me). Half the content of real OJ, but not half the price.”
I bought this recently because I had a $1.00 coupon & then it was doubled so I got the juice for 50 cents. Everyone in the house noticed the packaging change & the difference in taste for the 50% less sugar. Also, I noticed that instead of a half gallon of OJ (64 ounces) there was only 59 ounces, although the packaging size looked comparable to regular Tropicana container. So in reality you are paying more to get less juice/more water.
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So true. My wife comes home from the grocery store almost every time with a bottle of water they sell in the coolers right by the checkout. When she walks in with it I say “Looks like they got ya.”
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Sure, I believe it. I think that new Tropicana design looks GENERIC *gasp!*. I think everyone is affected by advertising – some people more than others. I’ll admit I’m a bit of a brand wh*re, but I don’t take it to the extreme. To me, the brands I like represent quality. I believe that many companies want to keep their brand name squeaky clean so they don’t skimp on quality. That isn’t to say that I haven’t felt bamboozled by some brands, but in general, the brands I trust do produce consistently good quality products.
I’ll buy generic where I can, but in some cases I just won’t. I suppose through trial and error I have found brands I like, and naturally stick to, especially when their ads are all over the place.
As I get older (and am committed to paying off debt and securing a financial future for myself), I’m learning to take trends and the advertisements that go with them with a grain of salt. Even items that aren’t trendy, and are simply advertised like crazy, I don’t necessarily have to buy, or even WANT to buy.
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I used to just eat fresh fruit. Then there was a period where the fruit just wasn’t that great & I switched over to the Tropicana “Light & Healthy” version. It took me quite a long while searching the new labels to figure out they had eliminated that version. Since no other brands had a comparable version I went back to the produce department & bought a bag of oranges. Luckily, the fresh fruit, particularly oranges, has been really great this Winter, so I’ve enjoyed the change.
Although just pouring a glass of juice is easier, I’ve turned the task of peeling the orange (or cleaning & cutting the strawberries, etc.) into an enjoyable experience for all my senses. Thank you Tropicana marketers.
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Its funny you brought up the Tropicana packaging. I saw this packaging change first-hand and my very initial thought was that it was a “generic” brand and immediately I was not interested. When I looked closer and saw that it was Tropicana I thought, “Who Ok’d that change??”
And with juices, I tend to find that the generics don’t have as much taste, seem watered down. Maybe that is Marketing, too, but I don’t think so…
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Thank you, JD for this post. Nobody likes to be told that they conform to a mass mentality, or mass behavior. The justification for that is that most of us are intelligent human beings. We aren’t all “sheeple” who go buy a product the moment we see it on TV. But being critically aware of advertising and marketing and being immune to them are very different things. Unless you’re a hermit living away from every single form of mass media out there, you’re not unaffected (you can certainly change the degree to which you are affected, though!). If you’ve ever used a coupon, asked a friend what shampoo they use, or bought a couple of candy bars at the checkout line, you’ve been susceptible to marketing and advertising. Even Brian Wansink, of “Mindless Eating” admitted that he wasn’t immune to it.
Of course, the effect of advertising doesn’t always lead to a product purchase. Even if direct forms of advertising aren’t effective on an individual, a collection of forces can shape behavior so that one purchases the product. That’s a form of advertising/marketing, even if the company itself wasn’t initiating or funding the medium. But companies hope that with enough exposure and a variety of factors, you’ll purchase their product–even if you “see through” some hokey advertising. And in the end, they don’t care so much about specific individuals purchasing their product as long as those individuals add up to significant market share.
We can’t escape advertising and marketing unless we go back to preconsumer culture. But we can certainly be critical of it.
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Honestly, I probably would have at least checked out the new packaging because it looks like a generic and I would have assumed a lower price point. I’m all about my store brands.
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One problem with the new Tropicana packaging is that the took the very disnctive name and turned it sideways so you have to read the name vertically, instead of horizontally. That’s why it is hard to figure out what brand it is at a glance.
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I try to use consumerreports.org for most of my purchases. I feel it takes much of the fluff out of buying stuff. Anyone who claims they are above being affected by marketing/advertising completely is either ignorant or arrogant (or both).
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Back to what Virginia said #11.
Simply Orange is it’s own unique brand (owned by Minute Maid). Tropicana Pure Premium is a brand extension of Tropicana (or brand dilution, depending on who you ask). Read “Marketing Warfare” and you’ll understand this battle was over when it started.
Notice how you probably didn’t know Simply Orange was owned by Minute Maid and they didn’t call it Simply Minute Maid. They created a simple position that Tropicana would have to compete with it’s other brand extensions to defend.
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As Gwen pointed out up above someplace, the change in packaging was partially related to a shrinking in package size (without a corresponding shrink in price). I actually emailed Tropicana when they shrunk their large plastic jugs down and got a response basically saying “people wanted a better jug and label design; we were just doing what the people asked for.” I’m pretty sure that the average consumer didn’t ask for any such thing and if they did they certainly didn’t also ask for “smaller size for the same money please.”
So I stopped buying their juice and switched to the best frozen concentrate I could find. I save a ton and it’s close enough in flavor. Still, I’d be tempted by my old favorite, with that fat juicy orange. Recently I noticed the new generic packaging and actually though “well, I won’t be so tempted now.”
I hope they lost 20% of their sales. Not because their new package is stupid (which is it) but because they had such a lame excuse for shrinking their product and not their price.
(OK, note: I saw the employee comment above and will not be happy if their stupid choices cause good people to lose their jobs).
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Great post and a great reminder for me to turn off the TV a little more often.
Speaking specifically about the Tropicana ad for a moment- the ‘new’ design looks like a generic product to me. I would imagine that’s why sales dropped. And it obviously isn’t recognizable like the original packaging. What a dumb move!
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Similar to #63 above, I wondered if taking off the “Light and Healthy” label caused the drop in sales. I don’t drink juice, but I prefered the new design in the picture above. I buy mostly organic foods, so Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s get most of my business, particularly for their store brands (fyi, today’s Chicago Tribune Food section had an interesting price comparison for organic foods).
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I, for one prefer the newer packaging. It is similar to the Publix brand which while generic, has a clean, simple, modern and attractive design. I am literate. It’s orange juice. I don’t need a picture of an orange on it to know what’s inside
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Maybe Google should look into this notion that branding and advertising is the key to success … If you provide a good product/service at an affordable price you will be successful. It’s funny how we give the marketing folks all the credit for our purchases. It’s almost insulting that you think we aren’t in control of our decisions to purchase products.
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I buy Tropicana’s orange juice because I preferred the taste over other brands, and I’ve tried many. After the packaging change I almost missed the brand in the store. I can’t say that packaging mattered to me, it still tastes the same. Once it’s in the glass, it’s visually identical.
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To echo what so many have already said – I buy Tropicana… The packaging change has add probably 5 seconds to my grocery trip and I find this frustrating. Now instead of walking past the OJ and grabbing what I want without stopping, I have to read the cartons to make sure I am buying the right brand… I don’t take issue with the new packaging, I just wish the change hadn’t been SO drastic.
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Interesting to see a poster just above mention the similarity with Publix’s store brand orange juice. Husband actually significantly prefers the Publix juice to the Tropicana (and will still go for the Publix even when it costs more than the Tropicana), and there were a couple times where we almost ended up with the Tropicana in our cart instead of the more desired Publix brand because of confusion over the new and now phased out packaging.
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I noticed Tropicana’s new packaging and bought a couple cartons. But not because of the cool new packaging – I also noticed that it was 100% orange juice NOT FROM CONCENTRATE with Pulp.
I prefer orange juice that is not from concentrate and that has pulp. I didn’t know that Tropicana sold juice like that. In this case, the new packaging alerted me to new information about their product rather than changing my perception of it, because it still doesn’t taste as good as Simply Orange.
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Late to this party but after mentioning it to my husband, he went to the grocery store and had the EXACT SAME PROBLEM with Kraft Finely Shredded Cheese. They’ve changed the packaging and it looks as generic as it can be. He almost couldn’t find it because of the change.
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There’s a reason companies spend huge sums on marketing and research-because it works. Every product targets a specific audience. Even movies. Ever hear about a movie changing the ending post production because the movie makers didn’t get the audience’s expected reaction? That’s market research. My husband does marketing and used to do packaging. It’s all about gaining brand loyalty-not selling their product to a random couple of people. They want you coming back to their product for the rest of your life. So for those who continued buying the oj, despite the package change, that’s loyalty. Anyone who thinks marketing doesn’t work, has it wrong. It even works on us, and we know the game!
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