Effect of Packaging on Brand Image in Nutrition Products

The success of certain products sometimes depends on a simple modification of their packaging. The packaging is the main communication element for the product at the point-of-sale and allows the consumer to appreciate the position chosen by the brand. This article examines the influence of the product package (color and shape) on some functional (brand belief) and symbolic associations (brand personality) of the brand image. Hypotheses are tested in an experiment that results in an empirical validation of the role of the package in the brand image enhancement process. Examination of the results hinges on the variance analysis for the two main hypotheses. This research has two explanatory qualitative variables (color and shape) and two explanatory quantitative variables (brand personality and brand beliefs), the multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) are thus the most appropriate. To examine each packaging separately, T-student analyses has been used. The result of this research shows the direct influence of color and shape on the functional and symbolic associations of the brand image. It has been observed that both the brand beliefs and the dimensions in the brand personality scale are affected by manipulating colors and shapes, the averages for the dimensions varying depending on the nature of the stimuli. These results indicate that visual aspects are variables which can be manipulated to convey or modify a specific brand image. The associations conveyed by these physical attributes restrict communication policies and positioning decisions according to product categories.